


you'll find that i'm unshakeable

by HufflepuffChildOfApollo



Series: is there a way back home? [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood and Injury, Boats and Ships, Earthbender Jin (Avatar), Earthbending & Earthbenders, Firebending & Firebenders, Gen, Hakoda (Avatar) is a Good Parent, Hakoda's Perpetual Headache, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I decided geese and goats weren't insufferable enough as separate animals, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Jin shall be included, Original Characters aren't mine, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) Can Kiss My Ass, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Parental Hakoda (Avatar), Southern Water Tribe, Unreliable Narrator(s), When I say 'Zuko's Scar' it's a lot more like 'Zuko's fresh burn wound', Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko's Scar (Avatar), because I love her, credit to Muffinlance for them, so you get them in one unholy fusion!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 44,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25712887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HufflepuffChildOfApollo/pseuds/HufflepuffChildOfApollo
Summary: A thirteen-year-old Fire Nation Prince winds up on a ship with the Chief of a minor village in the Southern Water Tribe.Chaos ensues.
Relationships: Bato & Hakoda (Avatar), Hakoda & Zuko (Avatar), Jin & Zuko (Avatar), Zuko & Hakoda's Crew, Zuko (Avatar) & Original Character(s)
Series: is there a way back home? [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1937566
Comments: 946
Kudos: 2650
Collections: Finished Avatar Fics





	1. 1; 'great. just great.'

**Author's Note:**

> Almost all of Hakoda's crew, as well as the Akhlut, can be credited to the wonderful MuffinLance, except for Akela, who sprang from my forehead fully formed like the goddess Athena. 
> 
> Title is from 'Heart of Stone' from SIX: the Musical

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone rereading this, it's different because ya girl is a straight-up dumbass and managed to accidentally delete the original. I had no backup so I re-typed it from memory.

The _Akhlut_ had been sailing for about a week, and the crew had _just_ started getting adjusted to sleeping on the ship. Chief Hakoda was just drifting off when Panuk had sounded the alarm. 

The cause for said alarm was on all fours by the railing, hacking up seawater on the deck while Panuk pounded on their back I help get the water out. 

When the coughing ceased, Hakoda stepped forward, and the small figure froze behind their curtain of dark hair, which hung almost down to the deck, hiding their face and much of their torso. _They can't be older than Sokka,_ Hakoda's brain unhelpfully pointed out.

He wondered how a teenager — maybe not even that — had ended up so far south. It wasn't one of theirs, going by the pale skin. It was a month's sail to the nearest Earth Kingdom port, and they'd had no reports that any ship would be sailing in their waters. 

The kid was hardly dressed for the cold. The only clothing they had on were a pair of thin, loose pants that likely offered no protection; the strip of fabric around their upper arm might have been a shirt, once, but looked like had been torn for a bandage. Both feet were bare, the toes tinged blue. 

"Who are you?" Tuluk asked, caution edging his voice. 

The bedraggled teen raised their head, and Hakoda froze in shock. And _horror._

One gold eye glared up at him from half of a pale face. The other half was a mess of blisters and leathery red, the eye nearly shut in a permanent expression of pain. A deep cut dripped blood onto the deck, where it mixed with the water dripping off them; the teen didn't seem to notice. 

"I am Prince Zuko," he said, in a voice deeper and hoarser than Hakoda had expected. "Son of Ursa and Firelord Ozai. Crown Prince of the Fire Nation."

Within a second, every crewmember had their hand on a weapon; Panuk stepped away from the Prince, eyeing him warily. 

Hakoda managed to keep his composure. "What are you doing in our waters?" 

"Drowning." 

"Answer the question, brat." Akela, the ship's nineteen-year-old apprentice healer, glared at the Prince, stepping forward. 

"Stand down, Akela." Hakoda raised his hand, looking down at the Prince. " _Why_ are you in our waters?"

"I'm on a mission from my father. Hunting the Avatar." 

Panuk snorted. "Sure, kid. You're, what, ten?"

"I'm _thirteen!"_ the Prince snapped. "And I'm telling the truth."

"How'd you end up in the water?"

"There was a storm. I fell off my ship." 

Hakoda remembered the _Akhlut_ going through a storm — three _days_ ago. _La's depths, he was out there that long?_ he had to crush down his sympathy, remembering this was the _Firelord's son._

"How many ships were behind you?" Akela asked. "How many people are looking for you?"

The Prince looked Akela up and down. "I thought the Water Tribes didn't allow women to fight," he said, more confusion than malice in his voice.

"And I thought the Fire Nation didn't send _children_ chasing after spirit tales," Akela answered smoothly, crossing her arms. "I guess we were both wrong." 

"I'm not a _child —!"_

The Prince cried out as he made a move to stand up, doubling over and clutching at his knee, which Hakoda noticed was bent at an angle just too far to the right to be healthy. After several seconds he didn't move again; Panuk nudged him with the side of his boot. 

"He's passed out, Chief."

Hakoda sighed. "Take him to the infirmary. I'll decide what to do with him in the morning." 

Panuk and Akela lifted the kid, heading to the infirmary; The rest of the crew slowly trickled back into the cabin. 

Hakoda went back to his hammock, his mind reeling with questions.

 _Thirteen._ Their prisoner, the Prince, was barely a teenager. He couldn't think how on earth the boy could have gotten to the middle of the South Sea; his Avatar story _had_ to be a lie. Nobody was that foolish. Hakoda doubted he was in the military, either. The youngest Fire Nation soldier he'd ever seen couldn't have been younger than sixteen — he'd never, _ever_ seen one so young. 

He sighed, resigning himself to another night of restless sleep, knowing there was a Fire Nation royal on his ship.


	2. 2; 'babysitting sucks.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a month getting used to writing in present tense, I now find it difficult to stay in past tense.

Akela sympathized with the Chief. She really did. Losing sleep over a Fire Nation brat, particularly the son of the Firelord, was something she would have avoided too. She couldn't really blame him for pushing babysitting duty onto Kustaa.

But she _could_ blame Kustaa for forcing the duty on her. It wasn't like _he_ had any sleep to catch up on, the nocturnal maniac. Probably reorganizing the bandage cabinet, _again,_ as if it needed it. 

Akela scowled at the mess of soaked hair that would not stop clinging to her. Under all the hair, the baby ashmaker's face was almost blue in its pallor. His lips _were_ a shade of blue that just about matched Akela's baby brother's eyes. 

Even with her limited medical knowledge, Akela could guess that was _probably not a good thing._

Akela grudgingly shifted the pile of blankets, maneuvering her hand through the layers to feel the hot waterskin laid on the ashmaker's chest. She pulled her hand back quickly; the flask was shockingly cold to the touch, like all the warmth had been sucked right out of it.

_Spirits-damned ashmakers._

With the tips of her fingers, she picked up the flask, whispering curses and hoping she wouldn't lose her fingers to the cold. She dumped the cold water into an empty bucket, refilling the waterskin from the pan of heated water on the stove, and carried it back over to the baby ashmaker.

She finished rearranging the blankets around him, then sat on the floor, leaning against the wall and facing his bench.

_Should've just stayed at home. At least there, I'm not made to **look after** the ashmakers. _

She did her best to stay awake, didn't take her eyes off the firebender for more than a minute at a time. 

Kustaa walked in at dawn and found Akela snoring against the wall. 

~

There was a _wood ceiling_ over Zuko's head. Who installed a _wood ceiling_ on the _Wani?_ And when?

_I bet it was Uncle. Seems like something Uncle would do._

His nose was cold. And his face felt weirdly numb over his cheekbones — even on the right side. 

_It's not supposed to be this cold._ He frowned. _And why can't I hear anything?_ His ship creaked and echoed anytime someone took a step (and there was _always_ someone making noise _somewhere)._ The silence around him now was...eerie. 

He moved to sit up, and found his arms pinned against his sides by...something. 

_This has to have been Uncle's idea,_ he thought, as he wrestled his way out of the furs piled on top of him _. Or maybe Jee's idea of a joke. Use me for a coat rack..._

Then he froze.

_Jee. Uncle. My ship._

_The storm._

**_The Water Tribe boat._ **

Cold dread settled in his stomach. He dragged the blankets off faster.

By the time Zuko got the last pelt off, he was shivering.Worse, his clothes were missing. Granted, they wouldn't have been much help, anyway. He'd torn his shirt for a bandage two days ago, and his pants were more a formality than anything in this cold. But still, a _little_ modesty would be _nice._ Facing down a Water Tribe crew in his underwear wasn't exactly on his to-do list.

He settled for wrapping one of the blankets around himself, tying it over his shoulder so it wouldn't fall. He was still freezing, and barely felt the floorboards beneath his feet as he set them on the floor. 

He tried to stand. His knees buckled, a sharp pain shooting through his right leg from his knee. He wasn't quite able to smother the cry of pain that forced itself out as he landed on the floor. He swallowed, blinking away the tears that stung his eyes, and tried to drag himself forward with his good leg and his arms. 

The door swung open moments later. A pair of leather boots stepped in, making a dull _clunk_ on the wood floor. Zuko held his breath, squeezing his eyes shut. 

More dull footsteps. Cold hands circled his arms, pulling him up; an arm shifted to grip his shoulders, the other picking him up behind his knees. He kept his eyes closed, biting his tongue to keep from crying out as his hurt leg was jostled. 

"Damn _ashmakers,"_ grumbled a voice that he, _unfortunately_ , recognized as belonging to the snarky woman who had called him a child. "What do you eat? Rocks?"

Zuko opened his eye to glare at her. "Nothing, for the past three days," he informed her. 

"It was a rhetorical question," she grumbled. "I guess I shouldn't expect you to know what _that_ means."

Zuko scowled. "I'm thirteen! And put me down, I don't need to be _carried!_ Especially by a Water Tribe _peasant!_ "

She scowled back. The next moment, Zuko found himself dropped unceremoniously on top of the furs and blankets he'd just escaped from. 

"The Chief's coming," she said as she strolled to the door. "Have fun."

The door shut, and Zuko was alone in the dark again. 


	3. 3; 'adulting is Not Fun'

Hakoda was having a very nice morning, until he received the unfortunate reminder that there was a teenage Prince of the Fire Nation locked in the ship's infirmary (because apparently Kustaa hadn't felt like dealing with it himself. Hakoda could sympathize, but made a note to lecture the healers in shirking his responsibilities). The reminder came in the form of a loud _thud,_ followed by a weak, pitiful cry. 

Hakoda sighed. He wasn't going to enjoy this. 

He sent Akela in to check on the _~~kid~~ _prisoner while he thought over what he was actually going to _do_ about their situation. They couldn't very well pack him up and mail him to the Firelord's palace. They couldn't _keep_ him on their _wooden ship,_ that was just _asking_ for trouble. 

As much as Hakoda disliked the thought, it was beginning to look like this _~~kid~~_ prisoner would be the first Fire Nation casualty of their mission. 

Hakoda heard yelling in the infirmary, and when Akela came back out it was with a sour expression. "He's all yours, Chief," she said as she joined Panuk and Toklo at the rail. 

Bato gave Hakoda a questioning look as he stood up. Hakoda tried to look like he knew what he was doing as he walked to the infirmary door. 

He braced himself with a deep breath before opening it. 

~

Zuko could feel his heart rate increasing with every second. Every footstep outside the door sent a chill through him that had nothing to do right the cold. It was getting hard to breathe, anxious nausea clawing at his stomach and throat.

The floor right outside the door gave a _creak._ Zuko clutched the blanket beneath him, setting his jaw. Bracing his good leg against the bench, so if he had to escape, he could at least get halfway across the room in one jump. 

The door opened. 

Into the room stepped the one who had drilled Zuko for answers the night before. His eyes didn't leave Zuko for even a second as he walked across the room. His steps were heavier and louder than the woman's. He dragged a chair from the corner with a loud _squeak_ as it dragged on the floor, and sat down across from Zuko. 

"I'm going to ask you some questions, if you don't mind."

Zuko _did_ mind. He was tired, and his leg still ached from where Snarky Lady had picked him up, and _dropped him_. On top of that, he was still _cold,_ and he was pretty sure he'd hit his head when Snarky Lady _dropped him._ He made a mental note that when he got back home, he'd request _dropping people_ be made an international crime. What made this — this _Chief,_ think Zuko was going to _tell_ him anything?

"Why are you here?" the Chief continued after Zuko didn't say anything. 

Zuko was pretty certain the Chief meant 'in our territory'. But why should Zuko _assume_ that? That would be _rude_. 

"Because your —" he racked his brain. What status did the Snarky Lady hold? "...Because _she,"_ he finally settled on , gesturing toward the door, "ditched me here."

The Chief pinched the bridge of his nose, but didn't look particularly _angry,_ so Zuko allowed himself a little satisfaction at it. 

"Why are you _in our territory?"_

"I _told_ you, I'm hunting the Avatar." Zuko was starting to think he wasn't the only one with a head injury. Shouldn't the leader of a country be able to remember a simple and important detail like that?

"You were injured and half-conscious," the Chief said. Zuko hated that it was a rational argument. 

"I'm injured _now,"_ he pointed out. His stomach picked that moment to growl, leading him to his next point. "And starving, by the way. In my country, we feed our prisoners. Guess I shouldn't have expected better — _"_

"How many ships were with you?"

Zuko huffed bitterly. "Just the _Wani._ And she's on her way back to the Fire Nation by now."

Of course she was, Zuko had no doubt; the crew had expressed their dislike for him more than was necessary for him to get the point, and Uncle...Uncle would probably be more than glad to be rid of him, so he could drink his stupid tea and play Pai Sho with the crew, and not have to tutor a hopeless invalid on _basic_ firebending forms. 

The Chief nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer; he gave Zuko an appraising look, eyes lingering too long on the bandage covering Zuko's burn. 

"How long have you been at sea?"

The question _sounded_ innocent enough. But Zuko had been around his uncle enough to recognize a layered question. He eyed the Chief, not bothering to hide his suspicion as he answered. 

"Two weeks," he answered. "We were on our way to the Southern Air Temple, but the storm hit and we had to go around."

The look the Chief gave him next was...indecipherable. But he didn't say anything. And he didn't reach for his weapon like last night. He _did_ give a heavy, equally indecipherable sigh, before standing up, and leaving the room without a word. 

~

It was _way_ too early for Hakoda to be having moral dilemmas. Couldn't those wait until they actually _got_ to the Fire Nation? 

He went to the crew quarters, leaning against the set of wall bunks they only used for storage. 

"Everything alright?" Bato asked, looking up from the map he and Aake were looking over.

"Everything's _fine,"_ Hakoda said. Like a liar. 

_Why did the Firelord send a thirteen-year-old out to sea with a fresh burn wound?_

_Why does the Firelord do_ _**anything?** _the sardonic jerk in him pointed out, rightly. 

"I take it the interrogation went well." Bato rolled the map up, raising an eyebrow. 

Hakoda loved Bato, he really couldn't ask for a better friend, but sometimes the guy could be _insufferable._

"Shut up, Bato," Hakoda growled. "I'm going to have to speak with the crew..."

"About what?" Aake asked, stepping away from the desk.

"What we're going to do with the kid." Hakoda looked up. "We can't exactly toss him overboard." 

Bato frowned. "You're kidding."

"He survived three days in that water, and probably could have gone even longer if we hadn't pulled him out."

"So we tie him up." Aake crossed his arms. "Firebenders don't work well in the cold, so he's not likely to burn through our ropes."

Hakoda sighed. "We have other options, which I would like to go over with the rest of the crew." 

Bato and Aake shared an exasperated look. 

"Fine," Aake said begrudgingly. "It's your call."

Hakoda nodded, sighing. "Bato, would you gather everyone on deck?"

Bato nodded and walked off. Aake sighed, walking out. 

Hakoda leaned his forehead against the wall, trying to quell his headache. 

He was decidedly _not_ enjoying this. 


	4. 4; 'another son'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Contrary to Zuko's belief, Iroh is not glad to be rid of his nephew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle in for ANGST, y'all. 
> 
> (The Wani and Zuko's crew, excepting Jee, all belong to MuffinLance)  
> (Sorry this is short)

"General Iroh, perhaps you should get some rest," Jee suggested. The old General only looked over his shoulder, his hands gripping the rail tighter. 

"Not until my nephew is found," he stated firmly. 

Jee sighed. "Of course, sir." 

It seemed like this was becoming routine; for the past three days, one of the crew would try to convince the General to rest. The General would refuse, and spend another few hours staring at the water, until another member of the crew would get concerned, and the cycle would start over. 

Jee tried to remain supportive of the General in his faith the Prince would be found, but it was harder the longer the General insisted on searching. Jee was continually aggravated by the Prince's entitlement and shouting, but despite all that, Zuko was still a _child_.

Jee had watched enough children carried to their pyres in his time; he hoped he wouldn't have to see another. For both his sake and the General's. 

~

Iroh felt his eyelids grow heavier the longer he stared out at the waves. He closed them only for a moment, before resuming the task he'd taken up three days before, after the fateful storm. 

_I'll find you, nephew._ He hoped, wherever he was, his nephew heard the silent promise he had repeated every minute since the discovery of Zuko's disappearance. 

Behind him, Engineer Hanako could be heard cursing under her breath as she attempted to weld the broken rail together. On such an old ship as the _Wani,_ it was unsurprising there were weak spots in the metal. Iroh sighed, thinking that if they could have noticed the weakness and made a repair sooner, perhaps his nephew would not have fallen. 

The waves had yet to turn up a single sign of his nephew. His armor, if removed, would have been too heavy to float for long. The currents were drifting further southeast. Iroh could only hope that following them would lead him to his nephew.

What he would do when his nephew was found, he didn't know. The chances of Zuko surviving the fall from the deck, and then three days in the frigid waters afterward, were very slim. He held onto that slim chance with all he had; it was what kept him moving ahead instead of turning back, even though the crew obviously doubted the decision. He would not stop until he found Prince Zuko.

He could not forgive himself if his lack of faith caused him to lose another son. 


	5. 5; 'family meeting on the Akhlut'

They were going to kill him. 

The walls were thin, and there was a room on the other side of this wall, and Zuko could hear _everything_ if he listened hard enough, and these...these _barbarians_ were going to _kill him._

Not even in a _humane_ way — he'd take a quick stabbing or even a bash over the head over what _they_ were proposing. No. They were going to _drown_ him — tie him up and drown him like an unwanted kitten-goat. 

And here he was, stuck in this bed. He couldn't put any weight on his leg, couldn't leave the blankets without freezing. Just sit and listen while they oh-so-casually discussed his murder.

Dread seemed to be manifesting itself in the form of nausea — or maybe it was just hunger. He wasn't sure. Whichever it was, it made it painful to move much at all. He remained curled up under the covers, listening as the voices stopped, footsteps pacing and stomping, a door closing nearby. 

Pretty soon the talking started again; further away. Zuko guessed it must be outside. He couldn't make out anything they were saying. 

He hugged his knees, wincing at the pain in his right leg. His eyes stung from the cold, making them water; the water stung the raw skin under his bandage. 

_This never really ends, does it?_

Zuko closed his eyes, gritted his teeth. Tried to push away the pain and nausea and _terror._ Wished he wasn't so damn _useless,_ and could stand up and fight instead of just waiting for them to finish him off. 

_I should have just fought in that Agni Kai._

_Then I might have died with my honor._

_Not here, like a coward._

He didn't notice the talking had stopped outside.

The door opened. 

~

Hakoda came out of the crew cabin, and found the crew standing in a semicircle on the deck. Akela and the youngest crewmember, Toklo, stopped whatever discussion they were having as he stepped out, looking at him with their _'What-Now-Chief-Hakoda? Look'._

Sighing, because he hadn't really wanted to do this _now,_ Hakoda began speaking. 

"We have to decide what to do about our latest...acquisition."

"You mean the kid," Akela said, raising an eyebrow like she was making sure they were on the same page. 

"Yes. The prisoner." Hakoda sighed. "We can't keep him in the infirmary forever."

Glances were exchanged among the crew.

"I agree," Kustaa said. "I need my workspace." 

Hakoda nodded. "Any suggestions for how to deal with the problem are encouraged. Aake," he said, nodding toward the man with his hand raised. 

"I stand by my earlier suggestion; tie him up and pitch him overboard." He shrugged. "No worse than what his people have done to us." 

Hakoda nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Akela?"

"Why don't we keep him for the time being, and drop him off at the first Earth Kingdom port?" she suggested unsurely. "He's injured pretty badly. Even after he gets over the cold, I don't think he'll manage any bending for a while." 

Hakoda frowned. "And where would he stay, Akela?"

She shrugged. "It was just an idea, Chief. You didn't seem to like Aake's idea that much."

Aake scowled. "My idea is the one that won't end with all of us dead."

"What about his father?" Panuk looked at Hakoda. "If he's telling the truth and he's actually the Fire Nation Prince, I imagine the Firelord would pay a lot for his return. He might release our prisoners." 

_If there are any still alive,_ Hakoda thought. It had been a long time since the Fire Nation took any waterbenders prisoner — since they'd shown any mercy at all. 

"Any other ideas?" he asked, looking around at the crew. 

Silence followed, the crew all looking at each other. That gave Hakoda his answer. 

"Are we gonna vote on it?" Toklo asked. "Is that how we decide things?"

Hakoda didn't see any better option. "I don't see why not. All in favor of Aake's idea?"

Aake was the only one who half-raised his hand. "If it's necessary," he said simply. "Panuk's idea's better."

Hakoda nodded. "All in favor of Akela's idea?" 

"Screw my idea," Akela said bluntly. "Panuk's right. The Prince could make a good bargaining tool."

"And if the Firelord doesn't agree to return our prisoners?" Bato asked skeptically. 

"We send him back anyway. Either way, we're rid of the Prince," Ranalok pointed out. 

"I'm with Panuk, too," Toklo said. 

Hakoda looked around at his crew. "All in favor of Panuk's idea?"

Hakoda counted a hand in the air for every member of the crew. 

"That's settled." He clasped his hands behind his back, looking around. "Now, I want someone to take the prisoner some food and clothes, and someone else clear off one of the wall bunks. We can't keep him in the infirmary."

At this, the crew released varying sounds of protest; Hakoda held up his hand to quiet them, trying to ignore the headache that threatened to return at the sound. 

"It's just until we reach port. At that point, we'll transfer him to our Earth Kingdom allies, who can take him the rest of the way." 

The protests quieted down to disgruntled murmurs. Hakoda sighed. 

"You can go now. Panuk, Toklo, you can get the food and clothes."

The two shared a look, and a shrug, before walking off to carry out their duty. 

"I'll get the bunk cleared off," Ranalok said, turning to walk into the crew cabin. 

"I hope you know what you're doing," Bato murmured as the crew dispersed. 

"I hope so too," Hakoda said. 


	6. 6; 'even prisoners need pants'

"What do you think, brown pants or black pants?" Toklo looked up from the chest he was digging through, looking at Panuk. "I'm thinking black."

"I doubt he cares," Panuk muttered impatiently, tapping his foot. "It shouldn't take you this long to find clothes for a _prisoner."_

"In case you didn't notice, not all my clothes are one-size-fits-all." Toklo paused in his search, examining a shirt. "I don't remember packing this." He tossed it over his shoulder. "It should fit him, though."

"Don't bother with your pants, Toklo," Akela said from her hammock, where she was reading through one of Kustaa's scrolls. "His leg's broken. Panuk's pants will probably be loose enough that they won't be a problem to get on and off over a brace, but yours are all too fitted."

Before Panuk could make a protest, Toklo gave Akela a smug grin. 

"Good to know you pay attention to the fit of my pants, Kel."

Panuk stepped out of the way as a scroll flew across the room and whacked Toklo on the head. 

~

Toklo opened the door cautiously, prepared to pull his blade if he needed to; the prisoner was in bad shape, he knew, but one could never be too cautious. He pulled back the curtain over the window to let in some light, and then stopped in his tracks. 

Okay. Maybe one _could_ be too cautious _._

The prisoner was...well, a _kid._ Toklo had caught a glimpse of him, the night before. Heard a lot of shouting about how he was _thirteen, **not** ten. _

That didn't prepare him at all. 

The _kid_ was staring at the floor, a poorly concealed look of unadulterated terror on his face. Hugging his knees, shivering under the blanket wrapped around him. 

Toklo was about to take a step toward him when the kid spoke, in a soft, shaky voice. 

"Don't drown me. Stab me, or suffocate me, but don't make me drown." 

He raised his head, and Toklo noticed with a mixture of disgust and pity that the bandage over his left eye was soaked through with blood in a few spots. 

"We're not —" Panuk took a deep breath. "We're not going to hurt you." 

"Don't bother _lying_ about it, either. I heard your Chief and another one saying you were going to tie me up and throw me overboard!" He glared at them, terror momentarily replaced with anger. Toklo stammered for a reply. 

"We're not — look." He snatched the plate from Panuk, setting it on the bench within arm's reach of the kid. "We had a meeting."

"Oh, so you're _poisoning_ me now?" He shoved the plate away. "No thanks."

Toklo looked at Panuk, who gave a helpless shrug. 

"We'll leave you alone," Toklo said, setting the clothes on the bench next to the food. "Those are for you."

The kid glared at him in a way that was probably supposed to be intimidating. Instead, Toklo was reminded of a wounded animal trying to fight back. 

He grabbed Panuk by the arm and pulled him out of the infirmary, kicking the door closed behind them. 

~

Zuko glared at the two warriors' retreating backs until the door shut behind them. Zuko almost wished they'd sent Snarky Lady in to kill him; that would have been preferable to whatever _this_ was.

He leaned back against the wall, eyeing the plate they had left on the bench beside him. It held two strips of what looked like dry meat of some kind, and a small wooden bowl full of purplish liquid. There was also a cup of water. 

_If they were going to poison me, they could have at least tried to make it look appetizing,_ he thought, ignoring his stomach's complaints. He pushed the plate further away, turning his attention to the clothes they had left. 

_What is it with these people and **blue?**_ he wondered, picking up the light blue tunic on top of the stack. Under that was a dark blue knit shirt and a pair of light brown pants. 

He sighed. _At least they had the decency to **let** me have clothes,_he thought, pulling the shirt on. It was softer than he had expected — koala-sheep wool always felt a little scratchy, so he was surprised by how smooth the fibers of this were. The tunic and pants seemed to be of a similar material. 

Getting the pants on was difficult. His leg, up until then, hadn't had much feeling in it and had only really hurt when he moved. Which became a problem, now that he was having to move a _lot_. Bending his knee was pretty much impossible. He grit his teeth and managed to get through it. 

He felt a lot warmer once he was dressed. The clothes were different from what he wore at home; Silk would have been impractical for the South Pole, for one thing. The shirt was more fitted, and the pants were straight all the way to his ankles instead of flared and gathered at the knee. The tunic was _similar_ , but the stretchy knit fabric hung in a different way. He noticed the clothes were different from what the others on the ship wore, too — probably spares that weren't worn often, he decided. 

He piled the covers back over himself, feeling a little better about his situation. At least he wouldn't freeze to death. 


	7. 7; 'Please give Hakoda fewer headaches'

Akela stepped into the infirmary, sighing. Why _she_ had been picked as designated baby-carrier, she had no clue. All she knew was that she already hated her job.

The kid glared at her, shrinking further under the covers like they'd protect him. Akela rolled her eyes. 

"I'm not going to hurt you," she grumbled. "Chief's letting you bunk in the crew quarters." 

"Why? So you can kill me in my sleep?" The kid's glare intensified. Akela noted that his bandage needed changed. 

"No," she answered, figuring it wasn't a good idea to tell him the whole plan. "It's just what Chief said. Now, are you going to let me come closer?"

"It's not like I can stop you," he snapped. 

"Okay, okay..." She approached, and reached for the shelf over his head. "I'm going to change your bandage before I move you." 

He flinched when she reached toward his face, but after that held still as she unwrapped the bandage. She grimaced at the sight of the immense wound underneath. 

"Stay here..." She stood, searching the shelves and cabinets until she found a small case filled with clay bottles about the height and width of two fingers. She took one and turned back toward the kid. 

"This should help," she said, pouring a little of the cream in the bottle into her hand. "Just hold still."

Akela reached out to apply the ointment — and the kid reared back like a startled deer-sheep, smacking his head into the wall. Not that he seemed to notice, staring wide-eyed at her hand like it was on fire —

_Oh._

She pulled her hand back. 

"I'm sorry —"

"Don't touch me," he snarled, eyes narrowing. "Keep your hands away from me."

"Alright!" Akela scowled. "I was trying to help."

"Well, it didn't help! How about I burn half of _your_ face off, we'll see how you like people getting in _your_ personal space!" 

Even though it was an empty threat, Akela flinched. 

"Maybe Aake was right," she snapped. "You'd be better as shark food." 

She stood, clenching her fists, and walked out, pushing past a bewildered-looking Kustaa. 

"I'm not dealing with that brat anymore," she said. 

"Akela —"

" _Not_. Dealing with it." 

~

Hakoda sighed heavily, looking at Akela, who was still pushing on with her angry speech while she paced a hole in the floor.

"...And _I_ don't see why _I_ should have to care for the ashmaker _anyway_ , that's Kustaa's job! I never asked to be a healing apprentice! I shouldn't have to take the crappiest job, just because I'm a woman!"

Hakoda raised an eyebrow. "Are you finished?"

Akela paused in her pacing to look at him. 

"Not really," she mumbled, looking guilty. 

"I understand your frustration, Akela —"

"But _that's just the way things are,_ right?" She scowled. 

"Well, no." He sighed. "If you no longer wish to be Kustaa's apprentice, I understand." 

Akela frowned, crossing her arms. "What's the catch?"

"No catch." Hakoda crossed his arms. "You can share duties with the rest of the crew. You're on the ship, so you're one of us."

She raised an eyebrow. "And what about the ashmaker?"

"Once he's out of the infirmary, the crew will take equal part in keeping him in check. You included." 

She huffed. "So _there's_ the catch."

"I will speak with him, and let him know threats to the crew will not be tolerated," Hakoda assured her. 

"Because reasoning with the ashmakers is always such a _great_ idea," Akela muttered. Hakoda pretended he didn't hear it. 

"You're dismissed," he said. She turned, stomping out of the cabin. 

Hakoda sighed, standing up from the desk. _Looks like **I'm** on baby-carrying duty, _he thought ruefully. 


	8. 8; 'the prisoner really would prefer you call him anything other than "kid". please.'

Hakoda stepped into the infirmary, and immediately had to restrain himself from shouting in alarm. 

There was...blood. On the wall. Not a whole lot, but enough to cause concern. A lot of smears, like fingerprints, and one larger spot that looked like a point of impact. Hakoda felt his heart rate pick up. He crossed the room, carefully pulling aside the cover over the kid. 

The terrified face looking up at him was like a stab in the chest. 

The kid scrambled to a sitting position, his good eye wide. The burn over his other eye was uncovered, showing the raw, red skin. The cut Hakoda had noticed before was bleeding again, but not enough to be the origin of the blood that Hakoda could now see was on the covers and matted in the kid's hair. 

"What happened?" Hakoda asked. The kid's face contorted into the scowl he seemed to like so much. 

"I hit my head." 

"How?"

His eyes narrowed. "Your crazy healer tried to touch my face." 

Hakoda frowned. "Akela was trying to help you."

"Well, that's no excuse! Why should I trust her? Or _any_ of you! An hour ago you were going to kill me!"

 _Shit._ How much had he heard? No wonder the kid was freaking out. 

"We weren't going to kill you," he said. "Aake was the only one who suggested it."

The kid scoffed. "You were _considering_ it. The fact it was even an option tells me enough. And your healer lady said I'm better off as shark food. Why would she say that if she didn't mean it?"

Hakoda frowned, but shook his head. "That's not what matters. You're hurt."

"I'm fine! I've been through worse." He looked away, not meeting Hakoda's gaze. The knife in Hakoda's chest twisted. 

"Well, you'll need cleaned up, at least. It won't be very comfortable sleeping with blood in your hair," Hakoda reasoned. "And if you lose too much blood, it'll make the cold worse."

The kid still didn't meet his gaze, but Hakoda could see the thoughtful expression on his face. 

"Fine," he finally answered. "But I can apply my own bandages. I know how." 

Hakoda didn't ask why. He didn't want to know. 

"I'll carry you, alright?" 

The kid fixed him with a glare. "You'd better not drop me."

~

The Chief did not drop him. Nor did he try to grab his face, or poison him, or tie him up and drown him, or —

He carried him out of the infirmary — apparently that was what they called their prison, even though Zuko didn't see an awful lot of healing going on in there — and into the room right next to it, which Zuko thought must be the sleeping quarters the two warriors had referred to. It looked more like a death trap to Zuko. 

From wood beams in the ceiling hung large nets that Zuko could only assume were supposed to be beds. In the back left corner was a desk, piled up with scrolls. On each of the long side walls were four wide, flat shelves, two close to the floor and two a few feet directly above them. Short wooden ladders led up to the top ones. All of the shelves but one were piled with different things; armor, waterskins, buckets, and on one such shelf, a large box simply marked **'Sharp objects'.**

The one shelf not piled with junk was the furthest from the door on the right, and it was there that the Chief set him down, before disappearing through the door at the back of the room. All the doors, Zuko noticed, simply pushed open by wooden handles. He wondered how they locked — did these people even _use_ locks? Was privacy a _thing_ here?

The Chief came back. He had a bucket in one hand full of water, and a rough-looking cloth in the other. The water looked slightly steamy, and Zuko wondered how they heated it up. 

He scowled. _Stop **wondering** and **wanting to know** things. That's what got you into this whole mess in the first place. _

He took the cloth from the Chief and set about cleaning the blood off his hands without looking at them. The water was pleasantly warm, but the cold air on his wet skin was decidedly not worth it. 

He accepted the Chief's offer of an ointment for his burn — the same clay bottle the healer had held earlier. He used his reflection on the water's surface to figure out where he needed to spread it, whether he'd missed anywhere. Tried to only focus on that, and not on the blisters and the way his eye wouldn't open so he could see properly.

The Chief paced back and forth, like he was waiting for something. Zuko did his best to ignore him while he picked flakes of dried blood out of his hair, and dabbed water over his head wound, which was no longer _bleeding_ but was definitely still _bloody_. 

When he was done, he set the bucket on the floor, wringing his soaked hair out into it, and wound a bandage around both his eye and the back of his head, just how Uncle had shown him. 

The door opened, and the two warriors from earlier walked in. 

"You finally got him in here," the younger-looking one said cheerfully. 

"Akela's gonna be pissed," the other one said, not-so-cheerfully. 

"Yeah, we'll just avoid her though, right? That usually works." 

"Boys," another, sterner voice said. Zuko's attention snapped to the desk, and he could have _sworn_ that guy wasn't there before. 

"Don't crowd the kid," he continued. 

"Sorry, Bato," Younger One said, backing off. 

"I have a name, you know," Zuko growled. He was getting _very_ tired of being referred to as _'kid'._ You don't take a _kid_ prisoner. You don't talk about a _kid's_ murder within earshot of them. You don't tell a _kid_ they're better off as shark bait. What made these people think they had any right to refer to him as... _lesser?_

"Good for you! So do I," Younger One said. "Name's Toklo." 

" _What are you doing?"_ Older One hissed. 

"Trying not to antagonize him," Younger One said through his teeth, as if Zuko wouldn't hear him if he didn't move his lips. "I'd rather not have _two_ people trying to kill me."

 _Wow, I wonder how that must feel,_ Zuko wanted to say. But didn't. He was starting to feel tired again, the water in his hair soaking through his clothes and chilling him. 

"Go continue your argument elsewhere," the one at the desk — _Bato?_ — said. "Let the kid get some rest."

Zuko was almost grateful for the interference. He laid down, keeping his right leg straight as he lifted it onto his glorified shelf. He laid on his side, keeping his face toward the room. 

_Not going to sleep, just resting,_ he told himself _. Don't fall asleep, whatever you do._

He repeated the mantra until his eyes started to get tired. 

_What was it I was supposed to do?_ he wondered, just before falling asleep. 


	9. 9; 'maybe this traumatized child isn't the worst.'

The prisoner was awake. 

And it was the middle of the night.

And he was _crying._

Panuk had jolted awake when he heard the first strangled cry. Now he was _still_ awake. And not ten feet away, the Fire Nation Prince was sobbing into a pillow. 

_How did my life come to this?_ he wondered. 

"Hey. Kid," he whispered, leaning out of his hammock. 

The sobs hushed quickly, though Panuk could still hear quiet hiccuping sounds. 

"What?" the prisoner said, voice full of suspicion and tears. 

"You hurt?"

"No."

"Oh." Panuk sighed in relief that he wouldn't need to wake Kustaa. "What's wrong, then?"

There was a long silence. 

"I had a nightmare," the prisoner finally answered. 

"Oh." Panuk frowned. He hadn't cried over a nightmare since he was eight, but maybe Fire Nation kids were softer. He would have thought the opposite to be true, but then again, the Prince was probably pampered and spoiled. "Must've been some nightmare," he ventured. 

"My dad burned half of my face off," the kid said abruptly. 

_Oh._ Panuk took it back — that was the kind of dream that would make Panuk upset _now._

"That's — that's awful," he said. "Drink some water. That helps me with bad dreams."

"I can't _get_ water," the kid grumbled. 

"Oh — right. I'll get you some." Panuk rolled out of his hammock, walking through the back door to the kitchen. He grabbed a cup and filled it with water. 

_How does someone even **have** a dream like that? What would cause —_

Panuk stopped himself. 

_No. I'm not going to think about it,_ he decided, carrying the water back to the kid. 

"Here." He set the cup on the bunk. "Enjoy."

Panuk could feel the kid's glare, burning him through the dark. He gritted his teeth and climbed back into his hammock. 

_How the hell am I supposed to sleep after **that?**_

~

Zuko sipped the water the sailor had given him, trying not to choke on it between the sobs he was holding in. He couldn't show any more of this...weakness. Not to this warrior — he was one of the two who had brought Zuko's food and clothes while he was still locked in the infirmary. The older one, who seemed to constantly be uncomfortable. Zuko was pretty sure his name was Panuk. 

_This is pathetic,_ Zuko thought. _I should be hunting the Avatar. I should be on my own ship. I shouldn't be letting the Water Tribe **military** take care of me. _

_Why not, though?_ a small part of him asked. _They've taken better care of you than your own crew. They've tried to help you. Even the crazy lady. That's more than anyone on the **Wani** can say. More than father —_

Zuko choked on his water. 

**_No._** _Don't even **think** such things, _he admonished himself. _You should be grateful a disgrace like you was even given a ship and crew in the first place._

He swallowed the rest of his water, setting down the cup and wiping his mouth on his sleeve. Laying back down, he tried to get back to sleep, staring at the shelf above him until his eyelids grew heavy. 


	10. 10; 'say what you will about the Fire Nation, their prince is pretty cool'

After a week, Kustaa had deemed the prisoner healthy enough to spend some time on deck. They had moved into warmer waters, so there was little risk of him becoming ill from the temperature. 

He sat by the cabin door, watching the crew go about their work, with a strange look on his face, like he was desperately curious but didn't want to show it. 

"Hey," Toklo greeted, sitting down across from the other teen. The Prisoner (Toklo hadn't really caught his name) gave him a wary side-eye, like Akela after a compliment, or Tuluk after a moderately fun activity was suggested. Toklo wondered if he was really that off-putting or if he was just hanging around the wrong people. 

"What do you want?" the Prisoner asked. Boy, was his voice deep. Toklo's voice hadn't dropped until he was fifteen. This guy was, what, thirteen? 

"Just resting. Not much else to do except bug you or Akela, and Akela's been in a sour mood since...well, since we left, really." Toklo shrugged. "I'll take your sour mood over hers." 

The Prisoner shrugged, pulling the hood of his (well, technically, Panuk's) parka down. Strands of hair stuck to the hood with static, making small _zap-_ ing noises. The darkness of his hair made the bandage around his face stand out even more. 

"So," Toklo asked after several moments of watching the Prisoner stare at nothing. "What'd you say your name was again?"

The Prisoner gave him that look again. 

"Zuko," he answered, before turning his head and continuing to stare at the nothingness on the horizon. 

"...Nice name," Toklo said, for lack of anything better to say. "I'm —"

"Toklo. You told me already." Zuko — wow, referring to him by an actual name almost felt _weird_ after calling him 'the Prisoner' for a week — shifted so he was fully facing Toklo. His right leg, now braced between two boards, stuck straight out in front of him. His hands, clothed in a (grudgingly given) pair of Akela's mittens, rested on his bended left knee. 

"So, how's life on the _Akhlut_ treating you?" Toklo asked in an attempt to break the ice. Zuko looked at him like he'd spoken another language. 

"Life on the _what?"_

"The _Akhlut."_ Toklo gestured around them. "Name of the boat."

"Oh." Zuko nodded slightly, face turning pinker — but maybe that was just the cold. "Right."

"So, how is it?" Toklo asked patiently. 

Zuko seemed to hesitate. "...Well, you haven't killed me yet," he finally said. "And I guess it's good having clothes that'll keep me warm. Most of the clothes I'd packed were for warmer weather. And by the time I got down here, it was too late to buy warmer ones, so..."

"So...?" Toklo waited for an elaboration. 

"Well, I'm not exactly about to give you a glowing review," Zuko grumbled. 

"That's fair." Toklo crossed his arms, leaning back against a crate. He wasn't sure why they had a crate on deck instead of in the cargo hold, but it sure was convenient. 

They sat in semi-comfortable silence, watching the others walk back and forth. 

"Why is the crazy lady allowed on the ship?" Zuko asked after a while. 

"Akela?" Toklo said. "She stowed away. Panuk's her cousin, but they were raised together, and she didn't appreciate being left at home. By the time we found her in the cargo hold, we'd already been sailing for half a day and it was too late to turn around."

Zuko nodded. "That makes sense," he said thoughtfully.

Toklo agreed. "If I could've gotten the same boat as my brother, I probably would have, but I'm glad I got this one."

Zuko gave him a baffled look. "Why?"

Toklo thought on his answer for a while. "Well," he finally said, "we've probably had the most excitement out of everyone." 

Zuko scoffed. "No kidding..." 

Toklo smiled. "How's the leg doing?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I still can't walk on it." Zuko scowled — _Is that his favorite expression or something? Is that just his natural expression and he's got serious Resting-Bitch-Face? Who knows._ "But it hurts less. I think being warmer helps — the cold made it numb, so I didn't realize what I was doing that hurt it. Now I can tell when I'm doing something that hurts it, and stop before it gets too bad." His scowl twitched. "That's what your healer says, anyway."

Toklo nodded. "Any idea when you'll be able to walk?" 

"Three months." He sighed. "I'll just have to hope someone from the Fire Nation can bring me back to my Uncle. Maybe he won't have reached the Fire Nation yet, and I can continue my search." 

Zuko's expression was a little wistful. Maybe even sad. 

"Why not just go home?" Toklo asked. "It'd be pretty hard finding the Avatar with only one leg."

Zuko looked at him for a second, then looked away again. 

"I have to complete my mission. With or without my mobility." 

Toklo frowned, but nodded. "If you say so, dude."

"Toklo!" Panuk's shout from across the boat cut through the pause. "I need your help untangling this rope!"

Toklo shrugged apologetically, standing up. "Seeya later," he called over his shoulder as he walked away from Zuko. 

"Whatever," Zuko called back. 

Toklo smiled. _And Akela said I was bad at making friends._


	11. 11; 'hey, jerk, we've got your son'

Hakoda sat at his desk in front of a blank sheet of paper. They would be at their first supply stop in two days, and from there Hakoda would send the Fire Lord his ransom note. 

But what to write? _'Hey, jerk, we've got your son, if you want him give us our waterbenders back'_ seemed a little informal. And if the waterbenders weren't _alive_ anymore, would there be any point?

They couldn't keep him on the ship. The weather was warming up — and with warmer weather came better firebending. With firebending came danger for all those on the Akhlut. 

_Maybe just leaving him at the port would be easier. He'd figure something out._

_Right?_

**_No,_ **the rational part of him protested. _Stick with the plan, or at least try to._

Hakoda sighed and rolled the paper up, setting it aside.

Out on the deck, the sun was brighter and warmer than he was used to. And over by the rails, on a stack of crates, the prisoner was lounging in the sunlight, and...playing cards?

"Go fish," Toklo said, grinning.

"Screw you," the kid mumbled, reaching for the spread-out stack of cards between them. He scrutinized the cards in his hand, putting down the card he picked up and one other. "Your turn." 

"Hey, Chief Hakoda!" Toklo called; the kid looked up, and Toklo leaned over, peeking at his cards. "Hey! You lied about not having any Four of Fires."

"Stop looking!" The kid jerked his hand away, then threw the cards down, scowling. "Start over. _Again."_

"Alright, alright." Toklo gathered the cards and dealt them both a new hand.

"Zuko," Hakoda said. The kid looked up from his hand. "I'd like to speak with you."

The kid barely concealed his nervousness as he nodded, laying his cards face-down, and picked up his crutch. "Don't cheat," he fired over his shoulder at Toklo as he walked away.

"Got it!" Toklo said, lifting up the corner of Zuko's cards. 

Hakoda led the kid into the crew quarters, sitting behind the desk. Zuko sat in front of the desk in the chair borrowed from the infirmary. His face was still awash with thinly veiled nervousness, but he sat stock-still, eyes straight ahead. 

"I'd like your advice," Hakoda began. The nervousness changed to a mixture of that and confusion, all under a layer of indifference. 

"Advice?" 

Hakoda nodded. "I'd like to write to the Firelord. Let him know that we have you, and we'll be returning you as soon as possible. Preferably in exchange for some of the prisoners from our Tribe."

The Prince's eyes (well, one of them) widened, and he didn't even bother trying to hide the hope on his face. 

"You're writing to my father?" 

Hakoda nodded. "I'd like a little help with the wording, if you don't mind." An idea struck him. "Or, you could just write it yourself."

The kid's eye brightened even more, if that was possible. 

"I'll write it, sir," he said eagerly. Hakoda smiled a little, but there was something itching at the back of his mind. 

_The Firelord sent him out here while he was recovering from a serious injury. Why does he seem so eager to go back?_

The boy had mentioned traveling with his Uncle. Even isolated as the Tribe was, they still knew of the Dragon of the West. From the tales Hakoda had heard of the man, he didn't seem like someone who was above putting his family in dangerous situations. 

Perhaps he had misunderstood. Perhaps the Firelord hadn't sent Zuko out after all. Perhaps this uncle Zuko spoke of was the one to be feared.

He slid a sheet of paper and a quill across to Zuko, who immediately started carefully writing. After a moment, he looked up, with a hint of his previous nervousness.

"...Can I write to my Uncle as well? I don't want him to worry."

 _Don't want him to take your place as Crown Prince while he thinks you're dead,_ Hakoda thought privately. "Sure," he answered. 

~

Zuko kept his misgivings to himself as he penned the letter to his father. 

_Maybe he regrets it,_ he told himself. _Maybe he wants me home._

The letter was stiff and formal, but that was all the better. Father would read something formal. The handwriting wasn't the best, but in Zuko's defense, he wasn't used to using a quill instead of a brush. 

"Where would be a good point of exchange?" he asked, looking up momentarily. The Chief considered. 

"Whatever's most convenient," he said. 

_**That's** nice and specific. Doesn't he have a **plan**_ _for where he's going? Shouldn't he negotiate around that?_

Zuko wrote down the _incredibly helpful_ directions, signed the letter, and set it aside to dry. 

When he started on the letter to his Uncle, he faltered. 

_What am I supposed to say? He'll be so disappointed in me..._

The Chief's eyes on him didn't help. What did he _want?_ Couldn't Zuko write to his family in peace, with privacy? 

Maybe the Chief didn't have a family. He certainly never mentioned any, at least to Zuko. Uncle had told him of minor Earth Kingdom cities who allowed orphans to ascend the throne if a leader died childless; perhaps the Southern Water Tribe was like that as well. 

Zuko cleared his throat, hoping the Chief would get the hint. Either he didn't, or he just didn't care. Zuko sighed, accepting defeat, and put pen to paper again. 

_Uncle,_

_I regret to inform you I survived_

No. That made no sense. Zuko crossed it out and started over.

_Uncle,_

_I have been captured by the Water Tribe_

That opening would probably cause a celebration among the crew. Zuko wasn't going to give them the satisfaction. 

Zuko sighed. This was harder than he had anticipated. Bracing himself, he started writing once more.

_Uncle,_

_you're probably back at home by now, drinking tea and flirting with the cook again. If you can spare a few minutes from your oh-so-busy schedule, I'd appreciate if you read this._

_I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been on deck during the storm. I should have stopped the ship for repairs sooner instead of pushing forward._

_You're probably saying 'I told you so' right now. Azula will probably laugh when she hears about all this, if you haven't already told her._

_I'm alive and well. My knee is broken, but I can walk with a crutch and it doesn't hurt so bad anymore. My burn's healing too — I'll be able to take the bandages off in a day or so, Kustaa says._

_Kustaa's the healer on the ship I'm on. I probably should've explained that to you sooner. Three days after the storm, a Water Tribe boat found me and took me aboard. They've let me stay the past month while I recuperate from my injuries. Not without gaining some new ones — the wood walls are a lot rougher than metal._

_I haven't been able to practice my firebending. I've tried to make time and meditate, but the boat's a lot smaller and it moves around a lot more, so it's hard to stay balanced. And there's not a whole lot of fire on board except for the lanterns the crew use (which I'm not allowed to touch) and the stove in the infirmary (which I'm not allowed near). They don't even have much coal on board — just a small supply for emergencies._

_I shouldn't make excuses, I know. I should own up to my mistakes and move forward. But it's hard moving when you only have one good leg, you know?_

_That was supposed to be a joke. You probably didn't laugh, because your sense of humor sucks. Or maybe you did laugh, for the same reason. Living on this ship is so boring I don't know what a good joke is anymore._

_I'd ask you to write back, but I don't have a return address._

_Your Nephew, Zuko._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hakoda, completely misinterpreting Zuko's relationships with his father and Uncle? It's more likely than you think.


	12. 12; 'fake names don't work if your allies are idiots '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided in this AU Jin does not live in Ba Sing Se yet, because Jin is a sweetheart and I love her and thought she should be included more.

By the time they finally reached the Earth Kingdom port, Toklo was ready to fall over and kiss the ground. Mostly because after so long at sea, he really wasn't used to stable, solid ground underneath him. 

"Whoa," he exclaimed, leaning against a conveniently placed pole. "Haven't got my land legs yet."

"Is it always this hot?" Panuk complained. Out of the corner of his eye, Toklo saw Zuko roll _his_ eyes.

"Why don't you boys go pick up some of the supplies we need?" Hakoda suggested. "Non-perishable food, healing equipment —"

"I'll get the healing stuff," Akela offered, stepping out of the boat and stumbling. "I doubt these three know a scalpel from a rock."

Toklo wanted to defend himself, but he really _didn't_ know what a scalpel was. 

"Alright." The Chief nodded. "I'll deliver these letters. You boys take Zuko with you — get him some clothes that fit, while you're at it — and we'll meet back here before sunset." 

He and Akela left, splitting up further down the street. 

"Alright. I'll go look for food," Panuk volunteered. "Toklo, take Zuko with you." 

"Alright!" Toklo grinned, grabbing Zuko by the arm. "C'mon, Zuko. There's gotta be a clothes shop around here someplace." 

He started walking at a steady pace so Zuko could keep up on his crutch, and they were off. 

~

Hakoda stepped into the small port post office. The pigeon-parakeets on the perches lining the walls screeched at his entry, the flapping of wings drowning out any sound the door might have made. 

"How may I help you?" the woman behind the counter asked, giving him an appraising look. 

"I'd like to send two letters," he said. "Do you take Water Tribe money?"

She scoffed. "Money's money around here. Where to?" 

"The Fire Nation," Hakoda said. "It's rather important...business, and I'd like the deliveries to be quick." 

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Fire Nation? What _business_ would you have with ashmakers?"

" _Business_ I'd rather not discuss in the open," Hakoda answered. "How much will I have to pay?"

She unfurled a scroll laying on the desk. "Delivery to the Fire Nation..." She looked up and let go the end of the scroll; it rolled itself up with a _snap!_

"How much you got?" she asked with an unpleasant smile. 

~

Zuko gave a solid five minutes of effort to picking out clothes. A long, painful five minutes that entailed Toklo criticising every choice he made. After that got to be too much, he took a seat on the bench outside and gave Toklo the reins, because if he wanted to hear someone rip apart all his choices he'd write to his father and tell him how his day was going. 

The noise and lights of the street were overwhelming after the relative calm on the _Akhlut;_ he found himself pinching the bridge of his nose to relieve the headache he felt building. 

But...strangely, it also felt a little like home. Just the warmer temperature was enough to remind him of winters spent at home. 

_Right now the lily-roses will be in bloom,_ he thought with a pang. _Since it was early spring when I left. It'll be summer soon._

He blinked away the stinging in his eyes and pushed away his thoughts of home. Those could wait until he actually _got_ there —

"Hello." 

Zuko stiffened at the unfamiliar voice. His hand instinctively went for his dagger — 

_Where **did** I leave my dagger? _he wondered. _I didn't have it on me when I fell._

He cautiously turned, looking at the newcomer. 

The first thing he noticed was the hair; a pair of soft-looking braids, and two large locks framing her face, reminding him of a shark-retriever puppy's floppy ears. The wide, soft eyes, the color of green olives, that stared out at him through messy bangs did little to lessen the impression. 

"Hello," she said again, as if he hadn't heard before. "I'm Jin." 

_Does she want **my** name?_ _Fat chance._

"I'm Lee," he said, giving the first name off the top of his head. 

"Nice to meet you, Lee." Jin held out her hand; Zuko was unsure what to do, eventually settling on gripping her forearm the way Toklo and Panuk greeted each other. 

"Are you with those Water Tribe men?" she asked, pointing toward a window of the shop. Through it, Zuko could see Toklo holding up a boot with a scrutinizing look. 

"Sort of," Zuko answered. "I'm staying with them until my leg gets better." He gestured to the makeshift brace on his leg. 

"Oh, what happened?" Jin asked, and Zuko almost cringed at the sympathy dripping from her voice. 

"I fell off my boat." 

"Is that how you hurt your face too?" 

Zuko ground his teeth. "No." 

"Oh." Jin didn't push any further, which Zuko was thankful for. "I like your hair," she said. Zuko saw through the attempt to change the subject, but wasn't really bothered by it. 

"Thanks." He looked at her messy bangs and loose braids. "Yours is nice too." 

She smiled. "My aunt did it for me." 

Zuko thought her aunt could have done better, but he didn't say it. 

"So, what's it like on that big boat?" Jin asked, leaning against the back of the bench. "I've only been on my grandpa's fishing boat. I always get seasick."

Zuko shrugged. "I was a little sick at first, but I got used to it after a week or so." 

"How long have you been on the ship?" 

"A month." 

Jin's eyes widened. "Wow. That's a really long time..."

"I was on my own boat with my Uncle for two weeks before that," he said. "Then there was a storm, and the railing broke off and I fell. The Water Tribe found me a few days later." 

Jin listened, wide-eyed. "That must have been scary." 

Zuko bit his lip.

 _Yeah,_ he wanted to agree. _It was terrifying._ Instead he pushed that aside with a shrug. 

"I guess."

Jin smiled a little. "How do you like town so far?"

_It's big and loud and reminds me too much of home._

"It's warm," he said. "The ship was really cold for a long time." 

Jin nodded. "I thought you were dressed pretty warmly for this time of year."

"Hey, Zuko!" 

Zuko clenched his jaw, held his breath, and reminded himself that if he strangled Toklo in the middle of the street, he would get thrown in jail for life. Or worse, the scary one (Aake?) would fulfill his promise of tying him up and drowning him. 

"Zuko?" Jin asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "I thought your name was Lee." 

Toklo frowned. "You tol—"

"It-it is!" Zuko stammered. "Lee. Is my name. But I apparently look a lot like the Fire Nation's prince, according to some...merchants. Whom we ran into. So Toklo calls me that. I hate the nickname."

"Riiiight." Jin nodded, crossing her arms. Zuko got the feeling she didn't buy it.

"Yeah," Toklo said, looking suspiciously at Zuko. "A nickname. From merchants."

Jin nodded slowly. " _Riiiiight,"_ she said again, and Zuko wished she'd stop drawing out the word like that, and that Toklo would shut his stupid mouth, because he was just as bad as Zuko at making up cover stories, and it was _not_ helping. 

"Well, come on, _Lee,"_ Toklo said with a smile. "I've got your clothes, and we need to meet up with Panuk, so wave goodbye to your girlfriend."

"She's _not_ my _girlfriend,"_ Zuko snapped. 

"Sure, buddy." Toklo ruffled Zuko's hair. "Come on. Let's go!"

Zuko scowled, picking up his crutch. 

"Bye, _Lee,"_ Jin said, waving, with a wide smile and an _annoying_ twinkle in her eye. 

"Goodbye," he growled, walking off with Toklo and hating his life. 


	13. 13; 'two refugees'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jin gets a little earthbending in this fic, because nowhere in canon does it say she's NOT an earthbender!

_Black banners emblazoned with red flames._

_Torches burning bright in brackets on sandstone pillars._

_Hundreds of seats full of silent watchers. His sister in the front row, smiling with an expression too mature for eleven._

_Hard, cold stone under his knees, against his hands as he bowed and begged._

_Tears turning to steam against skin as a flaming hand reached for his face —_

_~_

Zuko awoke with his heart pounding, drenched in sweat. 

It had been over a week since the last time he'd had the nightmare. He thought he'd grown past the weakness and fear, thought it was gone. 

He was wrong, like he _always_ was. 

His hands shook as he pushed the covers down. His leg ached the way it always did after tossing and turning in his sleep. His face hurt the way it always did after crying his eyes dry in the dark, salt irritating the raw skin under his bandage. 

He pulled himself up on his crutch, dragging himself to the small kitchen behind the door at the back of the crew quarters. After several cups of water his throat still felt dry and scratched, so he left the cup by the empty dish basin — he usually would have washed, dried, and put it away, but Akela was on dish duty in the morning. She deserved it for letting him trip into the laundry tub last week. 

He made his way back through the cabin, weaving between the death-trap hammocks and opening the door. 

The night air was cool on Zuko's skin; normally it might make him uncomfortable, but right now the last thing he wanted was more heat. He sat down on the crates by the rail, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. 

He unwound the bandage around his eye, letting the slight breeze soothe the burning and itching. 

~

Jin took a deep breath, sizing up the leap from her roof to the next. It didn't look _too_ far — she could make that, right? 

If she landed too heavily, it could wake someone up. 

She could always slide down her roof, and land on the ground. If she hung off the edge and held on, her feet would be close enough that the landing wouldn't hurt. 

Yeah, that was probably safer. Probably. 

She tossed her bag down, then carefully inched down the slope, wincing when her foot knocked a roof tile out of place with a loud _clack!_

_Hopefully that didn't wake the whole neighborhood._

The landing was a little harder than she expected, but her ankle didn't hurt _that_ bad, so she kept going. 

Aunt Mei-Li had said to leave at night. To get on the boat as quickly as possible, because it wouldn't stay long. To not get caught until they were far enough away from land that turning around would be costly. 

They'd be headed north; and north was closer to Ba Sing Se. And safety. Aunt Mei-Li and Uncle Enlai would go north later, when the baby was older and able to travel. So few ships came through the port that to miss an opportunity like this would be downright foolish. 

Jin stepped out into the road, still sticking close to the shadows. There probably wasn't anyone awake this time of night, but random patrols weren't unheard of. She wove through the maze of streets until she reached the cluster of shops around the harbor. 

The shops were empty, she knew, but she still exercised caution as she walked down the dock and climbed into the small skiff tied to a post. Through the haze of fog over the water she could see the Water Tribe ship. It was smaller than she expected, but big enough there should be somewhere to hide onboard. 

She swallowed the lump in her throat. She couldn't start crying now and give herself away. If she got caught now she might never be able to leave. The patrol officers would arrest her for unlawful boarding, and then they'd find out about her bending, and she'd end up on the prison rig like Grandma —

 _Just shut up and do it already,_ her uncle's voice told her. _Before you lose your nerve._

She picked up the oars and started rowing. As the ship grew nearer, so grew her determination. 

The little skiff bumped against the side of the big boat. She put down the oars, taking a deep breath, and jumped for the rope hanging over her head. 

~

Zuko looked up, hearing a quiet 'bump'. He looked around, and seeing nothing, dismissed it as Panuk falling out of his hammock again. 

~

Jin had never been a strong climber. But the threat of drowning was a hell of a motivator. She held on tight to the rope, pulling her legs up to grip it too, like a koala-sloth on a vine. Then, after some tricky maneuvering, she managed to get in a standing position, both feet on the rope, and grip the wooden ledge above her head. The rope swayed dangerously, and it took all she had not to look down. She must be seven feet from the water, at least — a fall from that high would hurt.

She held on tight to the ledge with one hand, and _very_ carefully reached down with the other to take her shoes off, storing them in her bag. Then, using her toes to grip the rope, she pulled herself up to the ledge. 

The railing of the boat was still high above her, but with the ledge she was able to stop, rest, and get a better grip on the rope. Then, bracing her feet on the side of the ship, she climbed again. 

When she reached the deck, she froze — someone was awake on deck.

Sitting on a crate, their back toward her and their long hair in the wind. Jin swallowed, creeping slowly toward the cabins. On the deck she had spotted a handle, and she'd bet her shoes it opened a door to a lower deck. 

~

Zuko heard a _thud_ behind him. He turned, seeing the door to what he believed was the cargo hatch slip closed. 

He frowned. _Who's awake at this time of night?_ he wondered.

 _Well. You are,_ his brain pointed out. 

_Right._ He sighed. _I am._

He ran a hand through his hair, resting his eyes for a second. 

_And I should be getting **back** to sleep. _He rewrapped the bandage around his face, going back to the crew cabin, and laid down on his bunk. He slipped off to sleep a little faster than before. 


	14. 14; 'afraid of fire'

With the weather growing steadily warmer as they traveled northward, Hakoda sensed a change in the Prince; specifically, in his bending.

He never summoned fire, but if he was on deck after the lanterns were lit, Hakoda could see the flames drift toward him as if blown by a breeze. And the washroom was always a little hazy whenever he helped with laundry — Hakoda wasn't sure if he was intentionally heating the water or not. He wouldn't be surprised if it was a spontaneous ability. 

Coincidentally, Panuk and Toklo seemed far more eager to assist with laundry as of late. 

Hakoda supposed that if the boy wanted to make work a little more comfortable, he could.

The strangest thing, though, was that not only did the Prince not _summon_ flames — he seemed to actively _avoid_ going near them. According to Kustaa, during the boy's check-ups with him to treat his burn, he kept a decent distance from the stove at all times if it happened to be lit. Kustaa had considered that maybe the boy was trying to prevent any accidental bending, but from what he knew of firebenders, controlling an external source of fire took more concentration than summoning one's own. And the full length of the infirmary wouldn't be long enough to prevent the Prince from bending the fire, anyway. 

No, there had to be another reason why the Prince disappeared from the deck when a lantern had fallen, the flames catching on a crate of (thankfully, blank) scrolls. Or why he startled so much at his own occasionally spark-producing sneezes. 

Taking a look at the bandage over half the boy's face, it wasn't hard for Hakoda to guess. 

~

Zuko sighed, leaning against the railing. Below, in the cargo hold, he could hear shuffling, again. He'd been hearing the weird sounds since they'd left port, about a week and a half. When he'd brought it up to Toklo, the other boy had brushed it off as probably a rabbit-rat that had snuck on deck. Zuko had his doubts about that, but doubted his feedback would be appreciated. 

He looked up at the slowly darkening sky; behind him, he could hear someone lighting the lanterns. 

The lantern flames followed Zuko. It had taken him a while to notice (he really wasn't on deck much after sunset), but once he had, he wished he could _stop_ noticing. 

It was better than on the _Wani_ , where candles and torches burned in every room, unchecked (everything was metal, so it wasn't like anything was going to burn). He managed to keep himself calm during his meditations, when his Uncle was there, close enough to put out the candles if he needed. 

It was shameful. A firebender, afraid of fire. Afraid to make his _own_ fire. He could hear his father saying it; _disgrace. Weak._ He could hear himself saying, _I'm sorry. I'll do better,_ even though it was so hard trying to get better at everything at once. 

Even though Zuko hadn't been able to give an address, he hoped Father wrote back. He didn't expect a messenger hawk would be able to find him, but a hound-falcon might be able to. Or a shirshu raven — he was pretty sure the royal messengers had those. They were the best for overseas messages. 

_Father **will** take me back...right? He has to. I'm his son. He has to regret banishing me...right? And I **will** do better this time. I've learned respect, haven't I?_

_Haven't I?_

Zuko sighed. 

_If I'm going back, I have to relearn firebending. Father's not going to accept me back if I can't even summon a spark._

He pushed himself away from the railing, leaning on his crutch, and went toward the crew cabin. He'd start his firebending after the others were asleep — he doubted the Chief would be happy if he found Zuko firebending. And he'd have to be careful — a wooden ship wasn't the best place for it, either. He'd have to work around his broken leg as well. 

It'd be difficult. He'd probably end up hurt. 

What else was new? 


	15. 15; 'it's really starting to seem like the Akhlut is an undercover daycare center, isn't it?'

"Hey, Zuko." A voice on Zuko's left side surprised him; though it was difficult to hear through the bandages over his left ear, he was pretty sure it was Toklo. 

"What do you want?" Zuko asked without looking at him. 

"Panuk and I were gonna go down to the storage and hang out tonight. Wanna come with?"

Zuko frowned, looking at him. An invitation to 'hang out,' in his experience, was usually a trap, and ended with Azula beating him at whatever game they played, or forcing him and Mai into whatever situation she thought would be most uncomfortable for both of them (the _Fountain_ incident and the _Tied To A Tree_ incident come to mind). 

Zuko doubted Toklo was going to tie him to a tree (unless there were trees in the cargo hold, the chances were slim) or knock him into a fountain (honestly, Toklo had probably never _seen_ a fountain — the water would just freeze, wouldn't it?) and Mai wasn't even _here,_ but he was cautious about accepting. 

_If you say no he'll probably drag you along anyway,_ his brain pointed out. 

"Fine," he said. "I'll go." 

"Great!" Toklo grinned. "Just a warning, I think Panuk's trying to convince Akela to come — you don't have to sit near her, though."

Zuko almost groaned. He should have known there'd be a catch. He _had_ known, and agreed to go anyway. 

"Don't worry! It'll be fine! Besides, we'll be able to check out those weird noises you've been talking about!" Toklo smiled. "What could go wrong?" 

~

The cargo hold was not a fun place to sleep. Nothing in there came close to being described as 'soft,' and it tilted on every wave. Thankfully the crates were tied down, but the constant shifting of their weight made Jin nervous. 

At least it was sheltered. And Jin would be able to come out before long — it had to have been a week, at least, since she'd left. The food she'd brought was starting to run out — not that she wasn't used to hunger. 

Still, Jin was decidedly not enjoying her stay. The seasickness alone was almost enough to make her wish she'd stayed at home at times.

Now, hunched over a bucket hidden away in a corner, Jin concluded this was one of those times. Her stomach lurched as the ship hit another wave. 

_Deep breaths, Jin. You'll be fine. At least you're not headed to the prison rig._

~

The cargo hold was deeper than Zuko had expected.

The ladder going down was also very steep, and if he tried climbing down, he was pretty sure he'd break his other leg. Panuk, it seemed, had come to the same conclusion, because before Zuko could say _'well, this was a great idea in theory but it's not gonna work out,'_ he found himself tossed over the sailor's shoulder, and held on for dear life as Panuk descended the ladder. 

"Put me down!" he snapped, attempting a commanding tone, but it came out as more of an embarrassing squeak as Panuk lost his footing for a second. At the top of the ladder, Toklo laughed infuriatingly. 

"I'll put you down when we reach the bottom," Panuk said, and Zuko could hear the grin in his voice. _Jerk._

" _Drop-him! Drop-him!_ " Akela chanted from the bottom of the ladder. Zuko glared at her the best he could from his position. 

"Don't be mean, Kel," Toklo admonished halfheartedly, as if he hadn't just _laughed_ at Zuko _almost_ _dying._

"It was a joke!" Akela defended. Panuk hopped off the ladder, setting Zuko on his feet. He grabbed his crutch from Akela, then stood away from them and waited for Toklo to join them. 

"Alright, who wants to search for the liquor stash?" Toklo asked with a grin. Zuko frowned. 

"Is that...safe?" he asked, looking at Akela, who shrugged.

"Eh. It's supposed to be for medical use, to help with coughs. I know where it is." She walked off toward a corner. Zuko scowled, because she had _not_ answered his question. 

"I brought snacks," Panuk announced, slinging a bag off his shoulder. 

"We just had dinner an hour ago," Zuko pointed out. 

"Deal with it," Panuk replied, which made no sense. _Why can't I associate with people who aren't stupid?_

Toklo climbed up on a crate, sitting down. "So, who wants to —"

A shuffling sound behind the crates cut him off. He turned, his hand twitching toward the knife at his side. Akela and Panuk exchanged a glance, preparing to draw their own knives and approaching. Zuko stayed back, watching warily. 

They pushed aside a crate, drawing in gasps. Zuko raised his head as high as he could and leaning forward. Over the top of the crate, he could see a tuft of dark hair. Frowning, he walked closer, his hand tightening on the crutch. _I can totally use this as a weapon if I need to, right?_ _Probably._

He got closer to the crate, surprise overtaking his wariness. 

"Hey, _Lee,_ isn't this your girlfriend?" Toklo asked loudly. 

Zuko really, _really_ wished he had just said no when Toklo invited him. 


	16. 16; 'contrary to popular belief, the Akhlut is not a daycare center.'

One day, Hakoda told himself, he was going to invent a device to pinch the bridge of his nose for him. He was starting to get calluses on his fingers from repeating the action so much. 

His current headache (all _five_ of them, in fact) stood in front of the desk, in varying states of indignation, incredulity, and nausea. The cause of all the hubbub — a small teenage girl — stood in the center, looking rather green around the gills (and not just because of her Earth Kingdom attire). She clutched the pail in her hands so hard Hakoda worried it would break.

"Start the story from the beginning — one at a time, please," he added, as the three crewmembers and the Prince all opened their mouths to speak. 

" _Zuko_ here was talking with the stowaway at the port town," Panuk announced, giving the Prince a sideways accusatory glare. Zuko bristled. 

"She talked to me first! And we _barely_ talked!" he protested. 

"You still could have gotten her on the boat!" Akela accused. "I bet she's one of your ashmaker friends in disguise."

"I _barely_ know her, weren't you even _listening?_ " Zuko snapped. "Why would I bring her onboard? She told me she doesn't even _like_ boats!"

"That doesn't prove anything," Akela fired back. "You don't have to _like_ boats to burn one down." 

"I'm not a firebender," the stowaway spoke up, glaring at Akela. "And he didn't help me, I got here all on my own."

Hakoda grit his teeth, sighing heavily. _"Why?"_

She tapped her fingers on the bucket. "I needed safe passage north, to Ba Sing Se. Boats don't come through my town often, so I took the opportunity I had."

Hakoda restrained himself from sighing again. "And what made you think we'd be going near Ba Sing Se?"

They would — _eventually._ Chameleon bay was an agreed-upon rendezvous point, but that wouldn't be for at least a few months, and only some of the fleet would be going. A lot could happen in that time. They had other stops along the way, as well as their other duties. 

"I didn't," the girl replied. "I just need to go further north. A more active port where I can get legal passage instead of stowing away. I wouldn't expect you to keep me onboard and longer than that."

 _At least she has **some** of a plan, _Hakoda thought. 

"Why is it so urgent that you reach Ba Sing Se?" he asked. She seemed hesitant to answer. 

"The Fire Nation controlled my town," she said. "If I stayed, I would have ended up imprisoned."

Hakoda frowned. "I thought the Fire Nation only imprisoned earthbenders."

She only gave a a sheepish smile in response. Hakoda sighed again _._

_Excellent. Another teenage bender. What's the betting we pick up the last remnant of a secretly survived airbending society in a month's time? Thank La's depths Katara isn't here._

"Akela, go clear off a bunk for... " he looked at the girl, waiting for her name. 

"Jin," she supplied. 

"Got it, I'll go get Ranalok to clear a bunk for Jin," Akela said, turning on her toes and swiftly strolling out of the cabin. The bunks were _right there, why_ didn't she just do it herself? Hakoda hoped his own kids made less difficult young adults. 

"Sorry for dragging you in here, buddy," Toklo said, ruffling the Prince's hair. "Didn't know it'd implicate you in the crime."

"Stop it," Zuko snapped, ducking away from his hand. "I'm not your _buddy."_

Hakoda could sense an argument building if these two didn't get out in the open. "You're dismissed," he announced. The two boys glared at each other, then turned and walked off. Panuk took a seat in his hammock, picking up a scroll. 

"I'll speak with our healer, Kustaa, about something for your seasickness," Hakoda said to Jin. She nodded, looking grateful and clutching her bucket. "No doubt you're hungry as well, so we'll get you something to eat."

"Thank you, sir," Jin said, smiling. "Can I be dismissed, too? I want to speak with _Zuko_ about something."

Hakoda didn't understand the weird emphasis she put on Zuko's name, but he nodded in acquiescence. She bowed slightly and turned, running out of the cabin. Hakoda couldn't help being a reminded a little of Katara by the girl's attitude. 

_This ship is turning into a daycare center, isn't it?_ he thought ruefully. 

"You're not adopting _this_ one, too, are you?" Bato asked from his hammock. Hakoda could hear the smirk in his voice, and held back on the childish urge to chuck a bottle of ink at him. 

"Shut up, Bato," he growled instead. Bato and Panuk laughed in chorus. Hakoda rolled his eyes. 

Hopefully the next port wasn't far. 


	17. 17; 'high-priority message'

Zuko had settled down against the rail, far away from Toklo, and begun his usual activity of watching the western sky for any sign of a messenger bird, when Jin walked over, leaning on the rail. 

"So. _Zuko,_ huh?"

Zuko sighed. "What do you want?" he asked. 

"For one, your real name would be nice. Is it Lee or Zuko?"

He looked at her. One of her eyebrows was raised — _no fair,_ he thought — and her mouth was turned upward in a smirk. Not quite an _Azula_ smirk, but it irritated him. 

"It's Zuko," he snapped, looking away. "I said it was Lee because we were in an Earth Kingdom town. I didn't want people knowing where I'm from." 

"Huh." He didn't look at her, but he could feel her eyes on him. "So you really do share a name with the Firelord's son. Interesting."

He scoffed. If she wasn't smart enough to have figured it out already, he wasn't going to spoon-feed her the information.

"So, how did you end up so far south, _Zuko?"_

He didn't like that emphasis she put on his name.

"It's none of your business," he answered, the words coming out rougher than he meant. His voice had been deeper and hoarser since the Agni Kai, and it often made his speech sound more aggressive than intended (though, in the case of speaking with the crews of both the _Wani_ and the _Akhlut,_ it was entirely intentional). 

"Alright," Jin grumbled defensively. "I was just curious."

Zuko sighed. 

"So. Your friends thought I was a firebender," she said. There was an unspoken _wanna explain that?_ that reminded him a lot of his Mom. He pushed _that_ random, weird thought aside. 

"Yeah, they did," he said, _not_ wanting to explain to this _stranger_ why the Akhlut's crew had assumed she was a firebender. She'd probably figured it out already anyway, unless she was dumber than she seemed. "And they're not my friends."

"I see." She crossed her arms, leaning her back against a crate and propping a foot up on the rail. "Is there anything I should know, now that I'm staying on the ship?"

 _You shouldn't have climbed on in the first place,_ he thought. Instead, he said, "Akela's crazy, Aake likes throwing people overboard, and if Toklo decides he likes you he won't leave you alone." 

She nodded thoughtfully. "Thanks, but I was more referring to, like, rankings and stuff. Who's in charge?"

Zuko shrugged. "Everyone's in charge except me. That good enough?"

Jin pulled an unhappy face, but shrugged. "It works." 

She leaned against the crate and didn't say anything, so Zuko figured she was done talking. He looked back out at the sky, watching again. It would probably be a while before he received a letter, if he even did, but it couldn't hurt to keep a lookout. 

~

Royal Messenger Kozue was regretting his choice to take over his sister's shift for the day. 

It had _started_ just fine. Nobody ever wrote to the Fire Lord unless it was really important. Well, except for Zhao, who greatly enjoyed bragging about his latest conquests and discoveries to his higher-ups, including the Fire Lord, as well as sucking up to get promotions. Evidently it worked. 

But other than Zhao, most soldiers and leaders simply reported to a higher-up General. Letters directly to the palace were rare, and Kozue was ready to enjoy a few hours of relaxation, maybe read the scroll his aunt had sent, when a small dot appeared at a distance in the sky. It was soon joined by a second dot, and as they drew closer Kozue realized with a sinking feeling that they were headed for _him._

The two birds landed on the empty perch by the open window. The message tower was high enough that Kozue got a little dizzy as he approached the window. The birds, he noticed, were pigeon-parakeets — Earth Kingdom carrier birds. He'd received more than a few, every time an Earth Kingdom town surrendered to the Fire Nation army. 

Each bird carried a roll of moisture-warped paper, tied with thin strips of blue fabric. Both letters had yellow high-priority stamps. One was addressed to Fire Lord Ozai; the other, curiously, was addressed to General Iroh. Kozue frowned; wasn't it common knowledge that the General had left with the banished Prince? He set the letter aside; he'd need a shirshu-raven to send that, there was no telling how far the General was now. He kept the other; If someone in the Earth Kingdom had written to both the Fire Lord _and_ his brother, it must be an important matter. 

The letter seemed to weigh twenty pounds as Kozue entered the Fire Lord's study. Fire Lord Ozai say behind his desk, somehow managing to look tall and imposing even as he read last week's crop report. 

"Your Majesty," Kozue began, bowing deeply. The Fire Lord's piercing gaze flicked upward. 

"I have a message. It was delivered by an Earth Kingdom bird..." Kozue held out the scroll, flexing his arm to keep his hand from shaking. "It has a high-priority stamp. I assume it's important."

"Leave it here," Fire Lord Ozai commanded, with a sweep of his hand toward his desk. Kozue wanted nothing more than to chuck the letter across the room and leave, but managed to contain himself, and simply walked across the room, leaving the scroll on the desk. 

"Leave," Fire Lord Ozai ordered. Kozue bowed, and left the Fire Lord's study as quickly as possible. 

_Who on earth could be writing from the Earth Kingdom?_ he wondered. _If it were a new surrender, it wouldn't be a high-priority message._

As he walked away from the study, he heard a low, cruel laugh from inside. 

He walked away faster. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kozue: makin' my way downtown, walking fast 
> 
> Ozai in his study: *laughs*
> 
> Kozue: walking faster -


	18. 18; 'yeah, let's not sugarcoat anything, Ozai sucks'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ozai is a dick who shouldn't have kids.

Ozai looked down at the letter in his hand. Sloppy calligraphy, made nearly unreadable by water stains, filled nearly the whole page in a pathetic attempt at formality. He could tell, without even reading the signature at the bottom, who had sent it.

_Fire Lord Ozai,_

_It is my regret to inform you that, due to circumstances beyond my control, I have been captured by the Southern Water Tribe militia and am currently held prisoner on their ship, the_ Akhlut _. Due to this, and injuries I sustained in the process, my hunt for the Avatar has been interrupted._

 _The captain of the ship, Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe, has requested a trade; he will return me to the Fire Nation in exchange for the remaining waterbender prisoners. Should you accept this offer, the_ Akhlut _will meet with your chosen ship at the point of exchange, the location of which being wherever is most convenient for you. The_ Akhlut _'s crew will be unarmed, and Chief Hakoda requests your chosen crew arrive in the same fashion._

_I hope you will consider the offer. The Avatar has eluded me, but I have learned the hard way to respect authority and hold my tongue during my imprisonment, and you will find me a loyal and respectful son if I am accepted home._

_Please send your response at the nearest convenience._

_Your son,_

_Prince Zuko_

Ozai couldn't help but smile. 

His son thought he had forgotten so quickly. His son — the disgraced mockery of a _Prince,_ still held onto the foolish hope that he would be coming home. 

Ozai set down the letter, laughing to himself. He had half-hoped the foolish child would realize the true purpose of his fruitless quest, and his first letter home would be a tear-marked confession of failure, begging to come home, full of the usual empty promises to 'do better next time'. 

Well, the letter wasn't tear-marked, the large water stains likely from being flown through fog by incompetent Earth Kingdom messenger birds. And it seemed Zuko hadn't realized the futility of his quest just yet.

Ozai laughed again as he picked up the letter, crushing it in his fist as he lit it on fire. The ashes floated slowly to the floor. 

Three out of five was good enough, in this case. 

It wasn't as if Zuko had ever met his standards before. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned yet that I don't much care for Ozai?


	19. 19; 'failed negotiations'

There was another ship approaching the Akhlut; an Earth Kingdom navy vessel, from the look of it. And it was coming straight towards them. 

Hakoda wasn't too worried about it, but he would have liked to know _why_ the Earth Kingdom ship was approaching. While his fleet had support from a few Earth Kingdom Generals, they had been given no indication that the Earth Navy would have any contact with them. 

The ship drew up alongside them, and lowered a gangplank across the space between them. At the side of the ship stood a tall, thin man in Earth Kingdom military regalia, with an impressively long, grey-streaked beard. He walked to the middle of the gangplank. 

Hakoda stepped out to meet him. 

"Hello," the man said, bowing in greeting. Hakoda returned the bow. 

"May I ask what you're doing in our waters?" the man asked. 

"That depends who's asking," Hakoda returned. 

"Admiral Jie of the Earth Navy," the man answered. "And yourself?"

"Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe." Hakoda smiled; Admiral Jie had been one of the Tribe's strongest supporters and suppliers during their preparations to set sail. It was thanks to him they had much of Kustaa's healing stock.

"It's good to find allies out here." Jie smiled. "I hope you're having safe travels?"

"For the most part; and yourself?" 

"As well as can be hoped for." Jie clasped his hands behind his back. "What do you say we leave this gangplank and continue our meeting on one of the ships? I have some information I'm sure will be useful." 

"Of course." Hakoda gestured toward the _Akhlut._ "I'm sure my crew would like to hear as well, if that's alright."

"No, no, I completely understand." Jie stepped around Hakoda, clapping him on the shoulder. "It's not every day I get to see what it's like onboard a Water Tribe ship!"

"It's nothing too special," Hakoda said humbly. Jie chuckled good-naturedly and stepped onto the boat, waiting for Hakoda to board before following him. 

~

The captain's study was a small room at the back of the crew quarters, alongside the kitchen and adjacent to the washroom. Normally a desk would take up some of the floor space, but since the desk was moved to the crew cabin early in the voyage, the room was mostly used to store the crates of documents Hakoda had that he didn't want to risk getting wet in the cargo hold. 

"This tea is excellent," Jie complimented after taking a sip. In the corner, Kustaa dipped his head in acknowledgement. 

"So, Admiral. Your information?" 

Jie smiled. "I'm sure by now you've heard the rumors about the Fire Nation's beloved royal family?" 

Hakoda certainly hadn't heard any such rumors; nor, it seemed, had the crew. Intrigued, he gestured for Jie to elaborate. 

"The word is that Firelord Ozai is losing support in some of the minor colonies. You've heard of Prince Zuko?"

"Who hasn't?" Tuluk asked dryly. Hakoda didn't miss the warning glare Ranalok and Panuk sent his way. Jie smiled. 

"Apparently the Firelord banished him indefinitely. Burned him, too, if the stories are right. I think the kid was about ten." Jie took another drink of his tea. Hakoda got an uneasy feeling in his stomach. 

_Probably the stories aren't right. What kind of father would do that?_

"What support is he losing?" Akela asked. Hakoda could hear a slight tremor in her voice. 

"Families from old colonies, who've got Earth and Fire in their families. If the Firelord doesn't even care about his own family, why would he care about people who aren't even full Fire Nation?" Jie shrugged. "It could all be a load of horse-bull, but if it sways folks to our side does it matter?"

_Yes. It does. A lot._

"Kid apparently disappeared about a month or so ago. His uncle's got a bounty out for him," Jie said casually. "Dead or alive. I guess the kid's probably more on the dead side now."

Hakoda could see Toklo open his mouth from the corner of his eye — and then the door chose that exact moment to creak open. Jie's gaze traveled toward it, and Hakoda's heart dropped into his stomach. 

"Why, Hakoda! You didn't tell me you'd picked up a little fire-snake!" He exclaimed. "Why, if I didn't know any better I'd say you'd gotten ahold of the Fire Prince himself!" 

Zuko's unbandaged eye was narrowed as he looked at Jie. Hakoda got a sense of foreboding as the Prince snapped, "Clearly you _don't_ know better." 

Jie's expression shifted, joviality replaced with something indefinable, but which couldn't mean anything good. 

"Well, the rumors about lack of respect, at least, are true," he said. "The fire-snake knows how to hiss."

Hakoda stood. "Zuko, what are you doing here?"

"I was going to the kitchen. I took the wrong door." Zuko didn't take his eyes off Jie as he spoke. "What about _him?"_

"Right now? I'm hoping to take you off the Chief's hands." Jie turned to Hakoda. "I'll take the brat back to his uncle — you can have half the profits."

Hakoda frowned. "We've already started negotiations with the Firelord." 

Jie scoffed. "You think the Firelord will take him back?"

"There's always a chance," Hakoda argued. 

"No, there's not! The kid's own dad burned and banished him. And if this is about _mercy_ , well, you'd be more merciful letting him starve to death on a deserted island. Or sending him with _me."_

Hakoda clenched his jaw. "I can't allow you to —"

"To do _what?"_ Jie interrupted. 

"I can't in good conscience send a _child_ back to the man who allowed him to set sail while grievously wounded." Hakoda clenched his fists at his sides. "That burn on his face should have at least been partially healed, with proper care. Whatever medical care he's been given is less than it should be. His _uncle_ should have taken care of that. He didn't."

"Then it'd be more merciful to put the brat out of his misery." Jie scowled. "And if you don't have the stomach for that, I'll take care of it."

Before Hakoda could open his mouth to protest, Jie had turned, grabbing Zuko by the arm.

"Don't worry. He's in good hands!" He called over his shoulder. Hakoda froze in place, only catching a glimpse of Zuko's terrified face before he disappeared from the doorway, the Admiral dragging him away. 

Hakoda could only stare, frozen in shock, at the doorway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be a mess, my brain's quality filter is damaged because I was up until 5 am without sleeping, so please let me know if it's a mess or not. I can't tell.


	20. 20; 'rescue plans'

The man's grip was crushing on Zuko's upper arm as he dragged him through the cabin and out on the deck. Zuko's attempts to escape were met with an even tighter grip and a more forceful shove. 

"If you cooperate, this doesn't have to be painful," the man hissed. Zuko glared at him, struggling to stay on his feet as the man pulled him along at far too fast a pace. 

"I'm not going with you!" he growled, reaching up and clawing at the man's hand in an attempt to escape. The man's other hand smacked Zuko's away sharply. 

He was seized by a pair of burly guards when they reached the deck of the other ship. The first man smiled unpleasantly. 

"We'll be back to check on you in the morning. If you cooperate, we can have you delivered to your uncle alive. If not, well...a reward is a reward. Dead or alive." 

His cold tone chilled Zuko to the bone. 

"Throw him in the cell." The man waved his hand; the guards' grip on Zuko's shoulders tightened. They turned, dragging him toward an open stairwell leading down from the deck. 

~

By the time Hakoda snapped out of his shock and made it to the deck, the gangplanks were being raised in the Earth Kingdom ship. He could see Admiral Jie, still on deck, speaking with two guards. Between them, Zuko looked ready to collapse, his face still frozen in terror.

"How are we going to get him back?" Tuluk asked, racing to join Hakoda at the rail. "They're bound to have weapons we don't. And there's no way they sent out a whole ship of non-benders." 

"We're not going to let that stop us. Right, Chief?" Toklo looked to Hakoda, twisting his knife in its sheath. "We can't just let him _kill_ Zuko."

"I don't see why not," Aake said. "The Admiral shouldn't have disrespected the Chief and undermined his authority. But he was right about the kid; If his own family doesn't want him he's of no use to us."

Hakoda glared at Aake. "We're getting the kid back." 

Aake shrugged. "Whatever you say, Chief."

"So what _are_ we gonna do?" Panuk asked. 

Hakoda looked at the other ship; the long oars hadn't started moving yet. It was still close. But boarding would be a huge risk, and could put the whole crew in danger —

"We wait." 

Toklo looked at Hakoda, wide-eyed. 

"Did you say _wait?"_

"If we board now and try to fight, they'll be expecting it. We have to wait until we have the cover of night. They won't harm him yet." Hakoda looked at them. "For now, make preparations. Some of us will go over tonight. The rest will stay behind and guard the ship in case they attack back."

The crew all exchanged unsure glances. 

"We should send in someone to scout it out, just in case. Shouldn't we?" Panuk asked. 

Hakoda considered for a moment before nodding. 

"It would be good to have someone on the inside."

"I'll go," Toklo volunteered. 

"You're too small," Akela pointed out. "Have you seen those guards? They're all pretty big guys. You'd stick out like a sore thumb."

Toklo slumped. Panuk sighed. "I'll go, then. I'll at least fit in a little better." 

"Are you sure?" Hakoda asked, looking at the young warrior. "You think you can manage to get in, and get a good look at the ship's layout?" 

Panuk stood straight, looking Hakoda in the eye. "I can do it."

Tuluk clapped Panuk on the shoulder. "That's the spirit!"

"Are you certain about this?" Bato asked quietly. "It's a big risk to save the Firelord's son."

Hakoda nodded, looking out at the Earth Kingdom ship. "I'm completely sure." 

_Jie's support be damned._

_I have to be able to look Katara and Sokka in the eye when I see them again._

_I'm not letting Jie hurt an innocent, scared_ **_kid._ **


	21. 21; 'there is one (1) braincell among all these fools'

The metal walls of the cell were cold. The floor was hard. The cuffs around Zuko's wrists and ankles were too tight, and rubbed painfully if he tried to move. 

Zuko curled in the corner. His stomach ached — he hadn't eaten hardly anything that day, breakfast having been interrupted when Jin got seasick and Zuko lost his appetite. 

Worse than his hunger, though, was the cold feeling of betrayal. He had known he wouldn't stay on the _Akhlut_ forever, but the way the Chief had just stood there, and let the Earth Kingdom sailors take him...

As much as he tried to tell himself he should have expected it, that he deserved it, the dull ache building in his chest was getting near unbearable. His eyes stung — not just from the cold in the cell. 

_How long have I been in here?_ he wondered. It felt like hours. He'd paced around the cell already, and found no means of escape besides maybe melting the lock (and there was no chance of that); the walls were solid metal, held together with solid metal rivets. The craftsmanship was similar to that of the _Wani,_ if less refined. During his search, he had listened for any sounds of a struggle on deck. He hadn't even heard footsteps outside the cell. 

_If they were going to save me, they'd have already done it._

_Unless they tried, and they're all dead, and it's all my fault._

He shook his head roughly, shrugging his shoulder to wipe away the tears that had collected in his eye. _They're Water Tribe. They're the enemy. If they died, that's their own fault._

_I'll have to get out of here myself._

Zuko looked at his hands, cuffed in his lap. _Maybe_...maybe he could weaken the cuffs, if he could heat them up enough. He'd practiced his firebending the past few nights, and while he couldn't summon flames yet, he could at least heat things up. 

The cuffs themselves were too thick (and too close to his skin) to burn through without likely burning his whole hand off, but the chain between them was thin enough that it shouldn't be hard to weaken it, enough that he could break it. 

He maneuvered the short chain into his hand, focusing all his energy on heating it. Soon enough it was growing uncomfortably hot in his hand; he should have dropped it then, he knew, but he wanted to be absolutely sure it would break. He held on just a little longer, giving one more _push_ of energy —

He cried out, dropping the chain, which was glowing red-hot. The thin links were warped, and despite the pain in his hand he had the presence of mind to bring his unbroken leg up and kick, hard, at the chain. It broke almost instantly, broken pieces scattering across the floor with loud _ping_ s of metal on metal. 

His hands free to move, he examined the burn. Two ovals, joined by a pair of parallel lines. It looked red, and it hurt — it might blister later, he supposed. But it didn't seem serious. He could feel a slight sting on the sole of his foot, and figured the chains must have burned through his boot.

 _Two chains left._ He leaned down, picking up the chain connecting his feet. It was longer than the one on his hands, so he chose two points to weaken, close to his feet. By the time he had both of those broken, plus the chain from his left ankle to the wall, he was exhausted. But he didn't allow himself to fall asleep. 

_If someone comes in and finds me like this, they'll try to move me to another cell._ He would have to stay vigilant, and if an opportunity arose in the form of a guard checking up on him, escape before they could stop him. 

He settled back in the corner, keeping his hands in his lap and feet close together to give the appearance he was still chained. 

Then he waited. 

And waited. 

And waited. 

~

On the horizon, the sun was going down. The _Akhlut_ had followed the Earth Kingdom vessel at a steady pace, but at a far enough distance so as not to cause Admiral Jie's crew any suspicion. Now, the Akhlut's crew prepared to board the other ship and rescue the captured Prince. 

Panuk had swam over to the ship hours before, and had presumably been successful in assimilating into the crew. If all went according to plan, Hakoda, Bato, Toklo and Akela would sneak aboard, collect Zuko, and get in and out without a hitch. 

If it didn't go well...

Hakoda supposedly had a backup plan. Akela might have zoned out while he was explaining it. She was good at picking things up on the fly, so it shouldn't be a problem. 

It was only now, changing into her dark 'stealth' clothes and soft-soled, quiet shoes, that she realized she hadn't seen Jin in a few hours. Curious, she brought it up to Toklo. 

"She's probably in the washroom getting sick again," he said with a shrug. "No big deal."

"For _hours?_ I haven't seen her since before Zuko —"

She broke off, a sudden thought striking her. "You don't think...?"

Toklo's eyes widened. "No. She wouldn't...would she...?"

They looked each other in the eyes, Akela's panic reflected on Toklo's face. 

_"SHIT!"_

_~_

Jin was getting _really_ good at this stowing-away thing. That Admiral hadn't even _noticed_ her on the bottom of the gangplank. And that was in broad daylight!

She was pretty sure whatever cells they had would be below the deck; this was confirmed when she saw the two guards drag Zuko down a set of stairs leading below. 

She hid out in a barrel until the deck was clear. The barrel was a little damp, and smelled like pickles, but it was empty, and nobody disturbed it. The hole in the side was convenient for watching the deck for movement. 

Finally, she was able to climb out of the barrel and, while she still had time, run down the stairs. 

Belowdecks was a maze; and unlike the Akhlut, it had _levels._

The first level had rooms full of crates not unlike the Akhlut's storage area; a room full of bunks like the one she slept in; but no cells, and no Zuko. 

The second level was full of cells; all of them with doors wide open. A sailor came down the corridor, and she ducked inside one, staying behind the door until he had passed. 

Jin made it to the end of the corridor, and was about to descend to the third level, when she noticed one cell was closed. 

_Zuko._

She raced over to the door, staying light on her feet, and pressed her ear against it. Inside, she heard a faint scraping of metal on metal, like a chained dog pacing across a metal floor. 

_Bingo._


	22. 22; 'pickle ghosts aren't a thing, Officer Toru.'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Escape time! Featuring Jin spooking some Earth Kingdom sailors, Zuko being forced to think his actions through, multiple parties attempting to rescue Zuko at once (while he is confident he can rescue his DAMN SELF), and everyone's favorite character, ANGST.

The keys to the cell weren't hard to find; the guards who patrolled the corridor had rings of keys hooked on their belts. It was easy for Jin to find a guard and pluck the keys off his belt while his back was turned. He didn't even feel her hand brush against his side through his thick armor. 

_Now for the hard part._

She wouldn't be able to get him out while the crew were awake. She'd need the cover of night. 

She snuck back to her barrel, curling up for a few minutes of rest before busting Zuko out. 

~

The crew of the _Pumice_ (so named because the idea of a rock that floated was _hilarious_ to the officer in charge) had been on edge since Admiral Jie captured the Firelord's son. It felt like another person had gotten on deck, besides the Admiral. Officer Toru had lost his keys belowdeck, and reported a strange smell — like pickles. The rest of the crew's relentless teasing over his key-stealing pickle ghost had yet to let up. Even the new guy — and where did _he_ come from? Toru didn't remember picking him up — seemed to find it hilarious. 

Despite their teasing, the other officers couldn't help admitting there was something _strange_ going on — and it definitely had something to do with the Fire Prince. Jie noticed their unease, but chalked it up to being at sea for so long — separation from their native element for weeks was enough to make any earthbender a little agitated. If they needed to invent a pickle ghost as an outlet for their discomfort, so be it. 

~

Hakoda stood at the helm, peering through his telescope at the Earth Kingdom ship. On the other ship's deck, the lanterns were lit, a single sentry on the mast. 

"Prepare the boats," he ordered quietly.

Toklo and Akela raced to follow his order, and Bato joined him, taking the telescope when Hakoda offered it. 

"We're gonna get those kids back," he said, raising it to his eye. "With Panuk on the inside, it'll go down without a hitch."

"I hope you're right, Bato." Hakoda sighed. "I don't think I could live with myself if they got hurt. Panuk, too. If my crazy plan got him caught..."

"Your crazy plans always work out in the end," Bato said. "In a way." 

"I guess," Hakoda said with a shrug. 

_I hope._

_~_

Zuko realized he might be able to pick the lock from the inside. The broken chain links were about the right size to fit in the locks. He had ripped off part of the bandage over his eye, wrapping it around the burn on his hand so his makeshift lockpicks couldn't dig into it. He stopped his work whenever he heard footsteps approaching, and resumed when they had passed. 

He got one lock done; there were four, one on each side of the door. He had lost track of the time what felt like hours ago, unable to feel the sun's position and find out. If he got the door open, he would have to hope the guards were asleep. 

_Then what?_ The _Akhlut_ had to be far, far behind by now. Even if he could get ahold of a boat, where would he go? 

_Well. It's not like the Akhlut would **stop** sailing. Maybe...maybe I could find them again. Get back onboard. _

_As if they'd let me after hearing what **he** said. They only wanted a hostage. I'm worthless to them now. _

Zuko was starting to think ' _What_ _else is new?'_ should be his motto. 

The second lock clicked. Two more to go. 

_What happens if I can't leave? He said if I cooperate I can go back to Uncle._ _.._

_...And what if the Admiral doesn't give me to him? The Earth Kingdom have hated Uncle ever since the siege of Ba Sing Se. What if they plan to use me to lure Uncle in? And kill him?_

_I can't let that happen._

Zuko picked up the metal pieces. He got to work on the third lock. 

~

The small boats cut through the water silently, pulling up beside the Earth Kingdom ship without a sound. Their passengers — two in each boat — cautiously climbed up the side of the huge ship, shoving knives in the miniscule gaps between boards for handholds. Their feet didn't make a sound as they landed on the deck. 

"You made it." The sentry stood at the bottom of the mast, helmet removed. He smiled. "I found Zuko's cell. The other sailors are out cold, thanks to Kustaa's special tea."

"Great work, Panuk." Hakoda lowered his hood. "We have another objective now — we think Jin snuck over to get Zuko back."

Panuk mumbled something that sounded an awful lot like _'that explains a lot.'_ "I don't think she's been caught, so she's probably hidden in the jails."

"We should get down there as soon as possible," Hakoda said. "Akela, Bato, stand guard. Panuk, Toklo, come with me."

"Of course, Chief."

"The crew sleep below deck — it'd be better to have them guard down there," Panuk pointed out.

"Alright. Lead the way." 

~

Jin was frustrated, to say the least. She'd unlocked all four sides of the door, but it still wouldn't budge!

 _Maybe I'm doing it the wrong way..._ Not about to give up, she inserted the first key again.

~

Zuko could have sworn he'd heard all the locks click open — so why did they click closed again, right after he got them all done? Frustrated, he picked up his lockpicks again. 

~

Hakoda and Toklo followed Panuk down the long corridor of the second level. They had left Akela and Bato at the top of the stairs, in case any guards decided to venture out of their quarters. At the end of the corridor, silhouetted in the dim glow of a lantern set on the floor, they could see Jin crouched on the floor, a ring of keys in her hand. Panuk cleared his throat, and she looked up. 

"Oh! You came!" she exclaimed, half-whispering. "That makes this a lot easier." 

"What are you doing, Jin?" Hakoda asked. She straightened up, planting her hands on her hips. 

"What's it look like? I'm busting Zuko out of here." She gestured to the heavy metal door. "Wanna give me a hand? There's four locks here."

Toklo stepped forward. "Gimme a key."

~

Two of the keyholes were blocked. Zuko came to the conclusion there must be a guard outside — probably more than one, going by the muffled voices he'd heard through the door — who'd caught on to his escape plan, and had decided to thwart it in the most _infuriating_ way possible. Whatever progress Zuko made kept being instantly undone. 

He slumped against the wall, his arms aching and right leg hurting from having to stand to reach the top lock. His fingers stung with tiny cuts from the sharp metal edges of his lockpicks. His chest hurt from the growing weight of knowing he wasn't going to get out of here after all, he was never going to see Father or Azula again, never going to see _Uncle_ again — well, not alive anyway...

Shaking, he wrapped his arms around himself, letting go of the tears he'd been holding in for so long. 

~

"Aaand...done!" Jin said triumphantly, pulling her key out of the last lock. "Panuk, can you pull the door open?"

Panuk stepped forward — Hakoda put out his hand, holding him back. "Let me," he requested, stepping forward and taking the handle. With one firm pull, the heavy door swung open. 

"Zuko?" He stepped inside, looking around cautiously. 

"Chief Hakoda?" An uncharacteristically timid voice spoke from the right of the door; Hakoda looked down, shocked to find Zuko curled up against the wall, tears running down his face; his expression held as much surprise as Hakoda felt. 

_He didn't expect us to come,_ he thought, with a feeling like a punch to the stomach. _He thought we would leave him._

"Zuko!" Toklo raced into the cell, throwing the keys in his hands aside and skidding to a stop on his knees beside Zuko. "You alright, bud?"

"You...you came," Zuko choked out, roughly wiping away tears — Hakoda noticed he had a bandage wound around his hand.

"Of course we did," Toklo said. "Panuk! Help me pick him up." 

"Why?" Zuko choked out, reluctantly wrapping his arms around Toklo's shoulders as the two boys picked him up. "You heard what that man said. My father won't take me back! I'm worthless to you."

Hakoda swallowed a lump of emotion. "You're not — Getting a reward isn't important. We're not going to let Jie harm you, an innocent, just so _he_ can get a reward." _You've been hurt enough._

"What are you going to do with me, then?" Zuko rubbed his eye, sniffling. "I'm of no use to you anymore."

Hakoda took a deep breath. "We're not going to _do_ anything. We'll wait for your father or Uncle to write back. When your leg is healed, we'll send you home."

~

 _I can't **go** home, _Zuko wanted to shout. _I'm **banished.**_

Instead he nodded, feeling too tired to argue and overwhelmed, because they hadn't left him, they were going to keep him safe, he wasn't going to be killed —

"We need to go," Jin said suddenly. "I think the guards are awake." 

Sure enough, if Zuko listened, he could hear footsteps in the corridor above them. 

"Come on." The Chief waved a hand, beckoning. Panuk took Zuko from Toklo, and he, Jin and Toklo followed the Chief up the corridor to the stairs at the end. 

The Chief's Second and Akela ran down to meet them. 

"There are three guards awake, looking for the missing sentry. We might have to fight them," Akela said. 

"Panuk, take Zuko and Jin to the boat and row back to the ship. We'll meet you there once we're safe."

Panuk frowned, but nodded. "Yes, Chief Hakoda."

"Be safe," Toklo said. "I don't need my friends getting hurt."

"I'll try." Panuk shifted Zuko in his arms to point at a door. "There's a maintenance ladder up this way; It's the long way around, but if you run into trouble on the stairs... "

"It's a way out." Chief Hakoda clapped Panuk on the shoulder; Zuko was amazed when Panuk didn't even flinch. "We'll see you on the _Akhlut."_

Panuk nodded; Zuko just had enough time to grab into the older boy's shoulders before he ran up the stairs, Jin following close behind. As they passed the first level beneath the deck, Zuko caught a glimpse of several Earth Kingdom sailors approaching the stairs. 

He held on tighter to Panuk, shutting his eyes tightly. 

Even though he could hear his father's voice calling him a traitor, he found himself hoping Chief Hakoda and the others would make it out okay. 


	23. 23; 'stabbing the Firelord sounds like a really good idea, just saying'

Zuko clung to the side of the boat, white-knuckled. Every tiny tilt of the boat felt like he was about to fall out, right into the water. He didn't think he'd be able to swim if he fell this time. 

Next to him, Jin's deep breaths were shaky, her shoulder pressed against his back. Between her breaths, Zuko could hear whispered swears and _should've stayed at home_ and _spirits please don't let me die on this boat —_

It did nothing to calm Zuko's nerves, hearing all _his_ thoughts out loud through her. It just further cemented his surety that _something_ was going to go wrong, and they were going to die. 

Against all odds, they reached the side of the _Akhlut._ Panuk hooked a pair of lines to the boat and hauled them up; Zuko could see someone on deck helping pull the boat up.

Zuko had never been so happy to see Aake. 

Panuk climbed out of the boat, assisting Jin out before picking Zuko up. Zuko would have protested, but he was _really tired._ He decided he could deal with being undignified for a little while. 

Panuk set him on his bunk. "I'll get Ranalok to get those cuffs off, and have Kustaa check you over."

Zuko nodded slowly, fighting to keep his eyes open. Now that he was out of immediate danger, it seemed like the hours of struggling to pick the locks, and all the firebending he'd done, were catching up to him. 

_Can't fall asleep. Wait for Chief Hakoda to get back._

Despite repeating this to himself, Zuko must have drifted off, because when he opened his eyes the cuffs were off his wrists and ankles, and Healer Kustaa knelt beside his bunk, examining the ring of bruises and scrapes around Zuko's wrist. 

"You're lucky you're so skinny," he said good-naturedly. "Those cuffs were tight — any tighter and I think you would have broken your wrists by moving." 

"I'm not _skinny,"_ Zuko grumbled. "My wrists are normal-sized."

The Healer shrugged, as if Zuko was somehow _wrong_ about the size of his own wrists. Zuko almost kept arguing his point, but realized it would be the most stupid and pointless argument he'd ever held. 

"Stay still," Healer Kustaa instructed. "Your wrists should be fine, but I'll need to treat the burn on your hand."

Zuko's teeth sunk into his lip as Kustaa unwound the bandage around his hand. Small blisters had appeared on the itchy, red skin. 

"It's not too serious," Kustaa said, opening a small jar of something pale-green and gelatinous. "This should help soothe it."

Zuko bit his lip harder as the healer spread the gel over the burn; the touch on the burnt skin felt strange, like a sharp, rough blade of grass being dragged over his palm. Not cutting or hurting, but raising goosebumps on his arms all the same. 

"It'll be better in a couple of days," Kustaa said, wrapping a short strip of clean white fabric around Zuko's burnt hand. "You've been an excellent patient."

Zuko frowned, looking at him. _Did he think I was going to cry or something? Over a couple of bruises?_ "I'm not a baby."

The healer nodded seriously. "Of course not." He stood, picking up his supplies. "Get some rest."

Zuko scowled, pulling his covers over himself. 

He closed his eyes — just _resting_ them, not _sleeping —_ and kept them closed even when footsteps made the floor creak. Footsteps he recognized. 

"Toklo, if you _touch_ me, I am going to smack you," he growled without looking. 

"Hello to you, too." Zuko heard a _thump_ as Toklo sat (or more like _threw his ass_ ) on the floor. "Everybody made it out alive, if you were wondering. Bato got a few scrapes — the earthbenders had some clay pots on board that they broke and used for weapons. But we're all okay."

Zuko nodded, his chest lightening from a weight he hadn't known he was carrying. "That's good." He opened his eyes, turning his right side to face Toklo. 

"By the way, you should totally say 'thank you' to Jin. She went over there on her own to get you out." 

Zuko blinked, stunned. "Why?"

Toklo shrugged. "Impulse?"

Zuko nodded slightly. "Okay...I'll thank her."

He sat up, pulling his left knee to his chest; both he and Toklo were quiet for a while. 

"Are _you_ okay?" Toklo asked. Zuko looked at him, frowning. "I've never seen...you looked _sad._ Not pissed off, just miserable."

Zuko scowled. _I wonder why,_ he thought, looking away. "Would you like a _list_ of all the things that might cause me to be _miserable?"_

The question was rhetorical — he didn't expect the earnest "Yes" that came from Toklo. 

~

Zuko whipped his head around, staring in what looked like disbelief at Toklo, who gave a bemused shrug, leaning on the edge of Zuko's bunk. 

"Talking about it might help," he said. 

Zuko didn't speak for a few moments. When he did, his voice gave a crack that could probably be heard on the moon. _So much for that deep voice, eh?_

"Are you _crazy?_ I'm not going to _talk_ about it with you!" he exclaimed. Toklo winced, and Zuko momentarily looked like he felt bad. "How will _talking_ about it help?" he asked, more quietly. 

"I don't know! Maybe if you get it out, someone can help with whatever problem you're having —"

"I don't need _help!_ What I _need_ is to be left alone so I can sleep!" Zuko scowled. "I've been on my feet with a broken leg all day, and I would just like it to be morning, because I haven't eaten all day and if I can get to _sleep_ it'll be breakfast sooner —"

Toklo held out a hand to stop him, before he said anything _else_ that might give Toklo a heart attack. "Hold on. You haven't _eaten?_ " 

Zuko frowned, pausing in his mini-rant. "No. I missed breakfast because Jin was seasick. Remember?"

Toklo grimaced. "Yeah...I remember. Look, I'll go get you some food. You don't have to sleep on an empty stomach." 

Zuko bit his lip. "Is that allowed?"

Toklo stood, straightening his tunic. "There's no rule against it. I'll be back." 

Zuko wandered in while Toklo was in the middle of heating up the seaweed soup. He just watched, quietly, leaning over the table with an almost curious look. 

"Here you go." Toklo slid a bowl across the table; Zuko pulled a face, but picked up the spoon and ate. 

_Almost_ without complaint. 

"Why is all the food you have so _salty?"_ Zuko grumbled. Toklo tried not to feel flattered that he was comfortable enough to _complain_ around him. 

"There's not a lot of seasoning at the South Pole. Salt's about as close as we get." Toklo sat down, stirring his own soup. "Also, Bato mixed this soup. He over-salts everything." 

"Oh." Zuko took one last spoonful, pushing aside the empty bowl. 

"Feel better?" Toklo asked, leaning on the table with his elbow. Zuko nodded, visibly stifling a yawn. 

"Good." Toklo finished his soup and stood up. "Now go to bed."

"You're not the boss of me," Zuko grumbled, standing up and leaning on his crutch.

" _Technically —"_

"Shut up." Zuko glared at him, turning to walk back to the sleeping quarters. 

He paused with his hand on the door. "Can you...tell the others I said thanks?" he asked quietly. "I didn't think...after what _he_ told you..."

"Was it true, then?" Toklo asked, a chill running through him. "Did your father..."

"I deserved it." Zuko's voice was strained. "It was what I needed. To learn respect."

Toklo felt sick to his stomach. What kind of man would do _that —_ to _anyone —_ but especially _his own kid!_ Why would Zuko, or _anyone,_ think a wound like that was _justified?_

"Zuko —"

"Goodnight." The door was open and shut; Zuko had left. 

Toklo picked up the bowls from the table, trying to busy his mind with washing them, half of him wishing he hadn't even asked Zuko about it at all. 

The other half wondering how stupid it would be if he walked into the Firelord's throne room and shoved a spear through the bastard's face. 

_Pretty stupid._

_But I'd feel pretty damn good doing it._


	24. 24; 'letters away from home'

The crew of the _Wani_ weren't expecting _any_ messages, _least_ of all from a royal shirshu-raven. The leather sleeve around the letter concealed any address, but they all knew there was next to no other place it could have come from than the Royal Aviary. 

As the crewmember in charge of the ship's messenger hawks, it was Genji's responsibility to open the message and deliver it to the addressee; there were only two people _that_ could be. And one of them was at the bottom of the South Sea. 

Genji _really_ didn't want to open it and find _that_ name on a scroll from the Fire Lord. He would be required to take it to General Iroh. 

He didn't think he could handle doing that. 

The General had finally given up their search for the kid weeks ago, after they had spent a month sailing back and forth, nearly exhausting their fuel and food supply. They had restocked at a port on Whaletail Island, at which point the General had announced they would be going home. They had not sent ahead the report of Zuko's death — General Iroh said he would prefer to tell his family in person.

The crew had tiptoed around any mention of Zuko's name. The General himself hardly spoke at all anymore, no longer the jovial (sometimes even goofy) man they had set sail with. 

Genji worried the reception of a letter addressed to his lost nephew might break him all over again. 

_Suck it up, buttercup. You've got a job; do it._

He took the cap off the protective sleeve, shaking it to extract its contents. 

The scroll that fell out was not printed on royal stationery, or sealed with the Fire Lord's crest, as he had expected; instead it was on thin paper, tied with a strip of blue fabric. From the warped texture, it had gone through some water; probably fog. 

Meaning it wasn't _written_ in the Palace. 

The address was to General Iroh. 

~

Iroh was meditating in his room when Genji's knock on the door interrupted. 

Just as well; he hadn't managed proper meditation since the night of the storm. Today was no different. 

"A message — delivered by a Palace shirshu-raven," Genji explained, handing him the scroll. 

_Written on commoner's paper,_ Iroh noticed. _And tied with a fabric not found in the Fire Nation._

Intrigued, he opened the letter — 

And nearly dropped it in shock. 

~

Iroh's vision was blurred with tears by the time he got past the word _'Uncle'_ ; at the same time, a smile tugged at his lips, causing aches in muscles he had not used in a long while. 

Prince Zuko was not dead; all was not lost. Drying tears on the sleeve of his robe, he pushed himself to read on — it would not do to celebrate too early, if his nephew had been imprisoned or worse. 

_'you're probably back at home by now, drinking tea and flirting with the cook again._ _If you can spare a few minutes from your oh-so-busy schedule, I'd appreciate if you read this.'_

Zuko was well enough he was using sarcasm — Iroh could hear his nephew's exasperated tone even through the writing. A weight lifted off Iroh's shoulders as he read on. 

The news that his nephew had been picked up by a Water Tribe ship was alarming. He hadn't known the Southern Water Tribe had a navy; he absently wondered what their aim might be. 

It seemed like they were caring for him, though — their healer was not only treating his injuries, but informing him on the progress he had made. 

It was unfortunate that his nephew was unable to practice his firebending, but more unfortunate that he thought he was making excuses by explaining his reasons. Iroh wouldn't expect anyone to firebend with a broken leg. But his nephew's attempt at humor did make him smile; even if, according to Zuko, it meant his sense of humor 'sucked'. It was, again, unfortunate that Zuko had forgotten what a good joke was. Iroh would have to remind him.

_'I'd ask you to write back, but I don't have a return address._

_Your Nephew, Zuko.'_

Iroh smiled. 

Zuko didn't have a return address — but Genji had a shirshu-raven, and Iroh had a good idea of where the Water Tribe ship would be headed.

The first order of business, though, was to spread the good news to the crew.

~

Helmsman Kyo was checking their courses with Lieutenant Jee when the door to the cabin burst open; Jee's armor gave what must have been its most unintentional, surprised _creak!_ ever when General Iroh stepped in, a letter clutched in his hand and a smile threatening to split his face in two; tears ran down his face. 

"Helmsman," he said, "correct our course; we're going east." 

Kyo exchanged a glance with Jee. 

"Are you sure? What's in the East that's so important?" 

General Iroh's smile widened even more (if that was even possible). 

"My nephew," he said, practically _glowing_ with joy (was that a firebending power, maybe? Glowing? That'd be useful). "Zuko is alive. And I'd like to find him."

Kyo's eyes widened, shock smacking him in the face. Jee (now seemingly recovered from his own surprise) raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Did he give a more precise location than _east?"_

"No; but he's on a Water Tribe boat. They won't sail directly into Fire Nation waters. They'll be further east — and it shouldn't be too hard for the _Wani_ to catch up." 

Kyo died a little on the inside at the thought of 'catching up' to a ship full of Water Tribe soldiers. 

But screw it. The Prince was _alive,_ for Agni's sake.

And they were gonna get their spirits-damned Prince back. 


	25. 25; 'making friends through bad haircuts and laundry'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just teenagers being (stupid) teenagers, doing laundry and having some Realizations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for the most part, a filler, but I had a Thought that demanded to be written, and ran with it.

Jin sighed heavily, collapsing on a stool in the washroom, her arms aching from pinning clothes to a line above her head. Across the room, Toklo and Zuko continued their loud argument, which had been going on for the better part of half an hour, holding up any progress on the laundry. 

"...it counts as a tunic! And why does it matter anyway, they're all _clothes —"_

"It's a whole different fabric than any of the tunics! It goes with your pants."

"My _pants_ are a different fabric than Jin's _dress._ Linen and silk are two _very_ different things!"

"Linen and _wool_ are two very different things!" Panuk growled from his spot in the corner, mending a glove.

"Would you both just _shut up?"_ Akela walked in with her arms full of laundry, glaring at the two boys. "Just wash the damn clothes so we can all have our pants back. I'm getting tired of Toklo showing off his legs." 

_I'll drink to that,_ Jin thought, pulling her borrowed tunic back onto her shoulder. 

"Hey! My legs are nice," Toklo objected in a wounded voice. "If anything, I'm _gifting_ you with the sight —"

"Could you move your _gifts_ somewhere else, or get back to work?" Akela interrupted, shoving the clothes in her arms into Toklo's chest. "We've all got better things to do than listen to you bicker over a dress. Put it in with the tunics."

"Told you!" Zuko said, snatching the dress from Toklo and throwing it in the tub. 

"Jin, if you've finished hanging the shirts up to dry, why don't you go help Panuk?" Akela suggested. 

"Alright. I can sew," she said, pushing herself off the stool and sitting down in the corner. 

"Hate laundry already?" Panuk asked, handing her a needle. 

"Yep," she said, threading it. "Hate it a lot." 

~

Zuko was starting to get used to not having a bandage over half his face anymore. Kustaa had finally declared his burn healed enough to let it breathe during the day — he still wore a bandage at night, just so he didn't hurt it in his sleep. 

_It was about time,_ Zuko thought — it had been almost a month since Kustaa had first _said_ Zuko would be able to take off the bandages. That had turned out to be a miscalculation. 

The burn didn't _hurt_ , but it didn't feel _good_ either. And the stares from the crew...

He'd been glad when Toklo had dragged him to the washroom. Helping with laundry sucked, but that was why the rest of the crew avoided the room on laundry day — to avoid being dragged into the fray to help. The fewer people around, the fewer people staring at him. 

It was also one place he could practice his firebending without being reprimanded for it. Panuk would become cautious and unsure if the water started steaming, and Zuko did his best to _stop_ if Akela walked in — that hardly ever worked, since he wasn't _intentionally_ heating the water in the first place. His practice was more about getting control over the temperature once it was already heated. 

Toklo and Jin seemed pretty eager to let him practice, though.

That...wasn't always a good thing. 

"Jin, you're in my space," he mumbled for the third time in the past fifteen minutes. 

"Sorry," she said, stepping to the side. "I guess I was just tryong to get warm, I didn't notice we were that close."

"Could you try and _notice?"_

"Having a lovers' quarrel?" Toklo asked, leaning across the table he was folding shirts on. 

"Shut up," Zuko snapped, splashing a handful of water at him. Toklo shielded his face, laughing. 

"Oh no, I've been attacked by a master waterbender!" he cried dramatically, collapsing into a fit of agonized groans that made the Ember Island Players look like real _actors_. 

"Idiot," Zuko muttered, shaking his head. 

"Least I'm not bald," Toklo fired back.

Zuko scowled; when Kustaa had taken the bandages off, he had also shaved the hair surrounding the burn, to avoid it causing irritation. That had looked _incredibly_ stupid, and Zuko had taken it upon himself to fix that, and do what he _should_ have months ago anyway, shaving it all off — that was what you were _supposed_ to do it you'd lost an Agni Kai. He had left the small patch at the back of his head, to pull into a ponytail. 

He wasn't sure it was worth the constant teasing from Toklo. Or the tugging on his ponytail from Panuk. At least Jin _pretended_ it looked alright. 

"I'm not _bald!"_ Zuko snapped. A cloud of steam billowed up, and Jin jerked her hands out of the water. 

"Okay, okay. Tui's light, I'm _sorry."_ Toklo held up his hands in surrender. "I won't make bald jokes if it's gonna make you scald Jin's hands off."

Zuko grimaced. "Sorry, Jin..." 

She gave a strained smile, drying her hands on the front of her oversized tunic. "Don't worry about it."

He sighed, picking up the brush and scrubbing at a stain on the tunic he was washing. 

_Why can't I, for once, have normal friends —_

He dropped the brush and tunic, steam rising off his hands in his surprise. 

**_Friends?_ **

He glanced over at Jin, who had ventured over to talk with Toklo; the two were chatting about Agni-knew-what while they folded the rest of the dry shirts. 

_**They're** definitely friends, but...there's no way. **I'm** not their friend. _

He observed for a moment longer; Toklo making a (probably stupid) joke. Jin aiming a smack at his shoulder, barely hiding a grin. The very same way as when Zuko said something she thought was funny, but stupid enough she wouldn't admit it. Toklo smiled, bumping Jin with his shoulder, the same way he did whenever he walked up to Zuko.

Zuko thought of how Jin had snuck over to the Earth Kingdom ship all on her own to save him. How Toklo had stayed up to get him food, and had wanted him to talk about his problems, and had genuinely seemed to care about it...

 _I guess I **am** their friend._

He smiled, just a little — and if he had looked at his hand he would have seen the tiny flicker of flames at his fingertips, only for a moment. 

He didn't need to see it to know he felt warmer inside than he had in _years_. 

_It feels good to have friends._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our Boy is finally Aware.


	26. 26; 'leaf water is leaf water'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for nonexplicitly implied abuse (Zuko's relationship with Azula is discussed briefly, and some scars are mentioned.)

Jin had given up trying to sleep in her bunk in this storm; the waves tossed the ship too roughly, and the constant feeling like she was going to fall off made it impossible to relax. It felt like the thunder was closer up there, even if she knew a few feet didn't matter. 

It wasn't much better on the floor; she'd moved her pillow and covers under Zuko's bunk, and tried to fall asleep there. She had almost managed when a strangled gasp came from right above her, startling her out of sleep. 

"Zuko?" she whispered, crawling out and squinting through the dark of the cabin. She could just make out the hunched, shaking figure on the bed. 

"Azu—" He cut himself off, clearing his throat. "Jin?" 

"Are you okay?" 

Lightning flashed, lighting up the cabin through the canvas over the windows; in that split second Jin saw the shining tracks of tears running down Zuko's face. 

"I'm fine," he whispered. Jin reached out, resting her hand over his on the edge of the board. His hand tensed, but didn't pull away. 

"The storm's pretty loud, huh?" she said, squeezing his hand. He nodded, reaching up and rubbing his face. 

"It...it was like this when I fell off my ship," he said. "There hasn't been a storm like this since then, and it's just..."

"Scary." Jin climbed onto the bunk, sitting next to him. 

"Yeah...I guess so."

She nudged his shoulder. "You're allowed to say you're scared." 

He tensed. "I'm thirteen. I'm not scared."

Jin frowned, looking at him, even though she couldn't see him in the dark. "And I'm fourteen. You're allowed to be scared. You think Chief Hakoda's never scared?"

Zuko was quiet for a while. "...I guess you're right," he finally said, leaning a little on her shoulder. "Help me up? I need water..."

Jin nodded, wrapping an arm around him and helping him stand. He held onto her just long enough to get his crutch under his arm and gain his balance. 

Akela was in the kitchen when they entered, sipping from a steaming cup and reading a scroll by the light of a small candle in a glass jar, a teapot set on the table in front of her. She looked up, raising an eyebrow. 

"Couldn't sleep either?" she asked. Jin shook her head. "I've got some tea here if you want."

Zuko leaned past Jin to look at Akela. "What kind of tea?" he asked curiously.

Akela shrugged one shoulder, taking a drink. "Might as well be grass, for all the flavor it has."

Zuko shrugged. "Leaf water is leaf water. Can I have a cup?"

Akela smiled, picking up a cup and pouring until it was full. "Want some, Jin?"

"Not right now, thanks," Jin declined, pulling two chairs over for her and Zuko.

"Some storm, huh?" Akela asked. Zuko cautiously nodded, dropping into a chair and accepting Akela's offered cup of tea. In the light, Jin could see patches of red risen on his neck and chest. It reminded her of how Aunt Mei-Li always went red all over when she was upset or embarrassed — right about now, Jin figured Zuko was probably feeling a bit of both. 

"I'll be glad when it's over — we don't get wind like this at home," Akela continued, rolling up her scroll and setting it aside. "Not at the same time as water and lightning, anyway."

"We get storms like this at home," Zuko said, waving a hand through the steam over his cup. "It's a lot different being on a boat when it happens." 

"I'll say," Akela said. "Not the most soothing way to get to sleep." 

"I'd take Uncle's singing over this." 

Jin was pretty sure she'd never get over feeling _weird_ whenever Zuko casually referred to General Iroh, Dragon of the West, as _Uncle._

"My Uncle Enlai doesn't sing, he _screeches,"_ she said.

Akela laughed. "Guess I lucked out in that department."

Zuko smiled a little. "The night I fell, Uncle had been trying to convince the crew a music night would be good for morale." He looked down at his tea, misty-eyed. "I wonder how that worked out." 

Jin raised an eyebrow at that. "I doubt anyone would have time for music if their nephew was missing." 

"You haven't met my Uncle." He looked at her, giving a wry smile. "His ability to screw around and waste time during an _important_ mission is impressive." 

_Implying finding Zuko **isn't** important? _Jin thought sadly. 

"The Dragon of the West, screwing around?" Akela raised an eyebrow. "Tell me more."

"When we went to the Western Air Temple to look for the Avatar, he wanted to spend all day looking at the _view_ and the _statues._ _"_ Zuko's jaw visibly clenched. "And _every_ time I'm in the middle of my firebending sets, he always interrupts with his stupid _tea,_ or tells me I need to rest! He could just admit he doesn't care, and doesn't think I can do it."

Jin wasn't sure about that. She'd watched Zuko sneak out to the deck at night to practice his firebending — and seen him exhaust himself trying to do so. His Uncle's interruptions sounded pretty reasonable to her. 

Akela sipped her tea, looking thoughtful. "Firebending practice is a whole lot different from someone you love being hurt," she said, looking at Zuko. "My little brother annoys the hell out of me, and sometimes I wish he'd just shut up and go take a nap. But if he got lost out on the ice, I wouldn't even _sleep_ until he was safe."

Zuko frowned, looking at Akela. "You have a brother?"

"Yeah. Amaruq. He's eight." She looked at her tea. "He'll be nine in a few days, actually."

"Oh." Zuko tapped on the side of his teacup, looking down. "My sister's eleven." 

"Wouldn't you be worried if she disappeared, or got captured?" Jin asked. 

Zuko pulled a face. "She wouldn't. And if she did, I would be more worried for the people who captured her."

It sounded like jokes she'd heard Panuk make about Akela — only his tone was serious, gaze distant as he looked down at his hands; Jin hadn't noticed until now the small fingerprint-shaped spots — _scars —_ that covered his hands and arms, just a little too small and at the wrong angle to have been from _his_ hands. She found herself shuddering a little, not from any cold. 

"Could I have some tea, Akela?" she asked. Akela nodded, looking as disturbed as Jin felt as she poured the tea. The look wasn't lost on Zuko, who frowned, looking between the two of them. 

"What is it?" he asked, frowning. "What's wrong?"

Akela opened her mouth. Closed it again. "Nothing," she said, tense. "Just didn't know you had a sister. That's all. Firelord doesn't really sound like a kid person."

Zuko shrugged noncommittally. "I guess not."

Jin drank her tea quickly, grimacing as it burned tongue and throat while she swallowed. "I'm gonna try and get some sleep."

Akela nodded. "Zuko, you should try and sleep too."

Zuko sighed. "Alright. Thanks for the tea." 

"No problem." She waved a hand. "Go on, I wanna finish my scroll." 

Zuko laid down on his bunk in the crew cabin with a mumbled, "Good night," and rolled over to face the wall. Jin crawled back under his bunk, trying to get comfortable in the small space and bury herself in enough blankets to drown out the storm, while bracing against the tilting of the boat, and the ensuing sickness in her stomach. 

_Next time we stop, I'm getting a bucket of dirt,_ she decided as she finally drifted off. _That'll help._


	27. 27; 'Uncle Kustaa'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was bugging me that I had written a Salvage AU and Kustaa had yet to be identified as Uncle. I felt the need to fix this. Hope this works.

The crew were getting restless again; after so long at sea, with little to do but wait, Hakoda could understand. The younger members seemed better able to entertain themselves, but the older men were more snappish and impatient. 

It was a good thing they'd be stopping for a few days in port, soon; unfortunately for Jin, it wasn't a town with frequent boat traffic, especially heading toward Ba Sing Se.

She didn't seem to mind when he told her. 

"I can write home and tell them about the delay. They'll understand, as long as I'm safe."

Hakoda wouldn't say it, but he was rather glad Jin wouldn't be leaving yet; there had been no correspondence yet from Zuko's Uncle or the Firelord, and though according to Kustaa, Zuko's leg was almost fully healed, it seemed it would be some time yet before he left. While most of the crew still held animosity toward the boy, it would be a pity for him to lose one of the few friends he had on the ship. 

He just hoped the _rest_ of the crew could get through the next few days. 

~

"...And I want you all back on the _Akhlut_ before it gets dark," Chief Hakoda was instructing the crew. "Don't get lost. And Panuk, Akela, keep the younger kids out of trouble."

"Got it, Chief," Panuk said. "We'll be careful." 

The Chief nodded approvingly, waving a hand. "Go on, best not waste any more time."

As the group separated, Jin appeared at Zuko's side, smiling. "Wanna shop for buckets with me?"

Zuko frowned. "Buckets?"

"I can't really earthbend without earth, and a bucket would be the best place to keep it," she explained. 

"Oh." Zuko nodded. _Makes sense_. "Alright."

"Your bucket shopping's gonna have to wait," Panuk announced. "We've got other plans."

Zuko tensed; Jin frowned. "Why? What other plans?"

"What'd I tell you, Panuk?" Akela rolled her eyes. "You sound like a creep when you say stuff like that. There's a swimming hole nearby, we're spending the day there until our skin gets pruny," she explained.

Zuko frowned. Hadn't they grown up at the South Pole, where the Water was too cold to swim? Did they even know _how_ to swim?

"Do any of you even know how to swim?" he asked.

 _"Yes!"_ Toklo said, in a tone that pretty much told Zuko that _no,_ he did _not._ "...In theory. Not a whole lot of good places to practice at home."

Jin sighed, lowering her forehead to her palm. _No kidding,_ Zuko thought in agreement.

"It's a small river, okay?" Akela said. "We're not gonna jump in if it's too deep. We're not stupid."

_Debatable,_ Zuko thought.

"Well, Jin can go and buy her stuff first. That way we won't have to track water through the shops." _Can't believe I have to explain this to the adult supervision._ "If you guys want to go ahead without us, we'll find you."

Panuk and Akela shared a skeptical look; Zuko suppressed a scowl. He'd been working on that ever since Toklo had informed him he had a _'serious case of Resting-Bitch-Face'._

"We're not going to get _lost_ or anything," he continued. "There's only like, five streets. We'll find you."

Panuk sighed. "Fine. But Jin's in charge — _don't_ give me that look, she's older and, no offense, more responsible."

_Rude._ "Alright, fine," he said instead of arguing. Otherwise, Panuk would just keep it going and they wouldn't get _anything_ done. "Let's go, Jin." 

"And don't go kissing down any alleys, you two!" Toklo shouted as they were walking away; Panuk and Akela laughed in chorus with the idiot.

Zuko was pretty sure he deserved some kind of reward for the self control it took not to turn around and strangle him.

Instead, he grabbed Jin by the arm and dragged her toward the nearest shop before she could get herself arrested for the triple murder she looked ready to commit. 

~

There were no buckets in this store. Nor had there been buckets at the last three stores they had searched and left empty-handed. Jin was starting to think the town might just not know about buckets. It sounded ridiculous even in her head, and more so when she said it out loud to Zuko (and he didn't hold back from saying so), but there was really no other explanation for it.

At least she had managed to mail her letter to Aunt and Uncle, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

"Would a bag work?" Zuko asked, peering across the store at an array of satchels and purses. "It would be more comfortable to carry around."

"I guess it's better than nothing," Jin said, shrugging. "I'll see if I can still afford it after one of these." She had found a small assortment of earthbending scrolls, and was trying to find one interesting enough to be worth the arm and leg it would surely cost. She'd brought money from home, but copper pieces didn't add up to much. 

"If it has pockets, you could separate the dirt from the rocks," Zuko suggested. "That way you could practice different types of bending with different kinds of earth."

"I guess I could. And that way I could carry other stuff too." 

Zuko mumbled something that sounded like _'because you have **so many things** that need carried'. _Jin graciously pretended not to hear. 

"Do you think it'd be cooler to learn how to make a dirt tornado or a suit of rock armor?" she asked. 

"You're more likely to have access to dirt than to rocks big enough for the armor," he pointed out. 

"I guess so. Hey, you think a dirt tornado would count as airbending?"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "No."

Jin shrugged. "Alright." 

She put back the rock armor scroll, and crossed the shop to look at the bags. Zuko followed, crossing his arms and standing with his back to her like a guard as she browsed the shelf, glaring at the other display stands like there was a very short assassin crouched behind every one of them. He seemed a little miffed that she kept interrupting his brooding to ask his opinion on the different bags.

"What do you think of this one?"

He eyed it skeptically. "The stitching looks too weak. You wouldn't be able to hold much in there."

"What about this one?"

"What kind of leather is that handle? It'd cut into your shoulder with any amount of weight on it."

"This —"

"Jin. It's _orange_." 

"Well, you don't have to act like I insulted your whole family." 

Finally, she found a bag they both agreed was acceptable, and took it to the counter along with the earthbending scroll. 

"Seven copper pieces," the saleswoman said after checking over both items. Jin got out the coins and paid, relieved at the low price. 

"That was a pretty good deal," she remarked as she stepped outside, tucking the scroll into her new bag. "Think you can handle one more shopping trip? I need some clothes."

Zuko shrugged, giving an unenthusiastic grunt. "I guess if I can survive a trip with Uncle..." 

"That's the spirit!" 

Zuko just rolled his eyes, muttering something unintelligible as she pulled him toward the clothes store across the road. 

~

"I think the grey dress looks nice," Jin grumbled as she and Zuko walked down the road. "I don't see why you have a problem with it."

"I never said it didn't look nice," Zuko returned impatiently. "I said it wasn't practical, and something shorter with pants underneath would be more functional."

She shrugged. "Too late now, already bought it."

Zuko sighed. "I never told you _not_ to buy it, I made a suggestion for something else you could get for more functional use."

_A really **reasonable** suggestion that I think you should have listened to. _

"I don't see why it matters." Jin pushed open the door to a small shop. "Come on, this is the last shop. Might as well see what's in here."

Zuko really had no choice but to follow her in. 

~

Jin looked around the small, dingy shop, a shiver running down her spine. It looked harmless enough — just a small tea shop — but there were enough shadows and dark corners to make her keep her eyes open. The few customers inside certainly didn't look like _merchants._

Zuko apparently got the same message; his footsteps came a little closer on her heels than before, his breaths sounding slightly slower and more deliberate where they had been relaxed all day.

"Have you seen enough yet?" he whispered through his teeth. 

"It'd look weird if we turned around and left right after coming in," she whispered back. 

"So? We already look weird!" 

_Fair point,_ Jin thought — an Earth Kingdom girl and a Fire Nation boy walking into a tea shop together. It sounded like the start of a bad joke. 

"We'll just get a cup of tea and go, alright? It won't take too long." 

Zuko made an annoyed sound that might have been words, and followed her to the counter. 

The waiter wasn't very talkative, and wrote down the order for two jasmine teas without so much as a "hello," and passed them their cups after a short wait. Jin pulled Zuko to a table in the corner, sitting down. A discreet flick of her hand cleaned most of the dirt off the table.

"This place is filthy," Zuko grumbled, his gaze darting around the shop. "I'm not drinking anything."

Jin shrugged. "Suit yourself. A little dirt never hurt anybody." 

"That sounds like earthbender talk." 

Jin tensed at hearing a voice behind her, pausing with her cup at her lips; Zuko's eyes were no longer searching the room, instead fixed and narrowed on a point over her shoulder; they slowly traveled to her right as footsteps creaked on the floor, and dark brown fabric became visible in Jin's peripheral vision. 

"What's it to you if she's an earthbender?" Zuko asked, fists clenched on the tabletop. 

A deep laugh sounded above her head. "Just curiosity. There aren't many benders left around here." More of the brown robes came into view, a chair screeching across the floor as it was dragged to the table. "My name is Chéng-gong." 

"Take your _curiosity_ elsewhere."

"What would two children as young as yourselves be doing alone in this port?" 

"None of your business," Zuko snapped, not taking his eyes off the stranger. 

"The Earth Army's in need of benders. You, girl." Jin glanced up and met cold green eyes. A moustached mouth stretched in a thin smile. "You look about recruiting age; If you're good enough I doubt they'll even care you're a girl."

"She's not interested."

"Quiet! I'm sure she's got enough self-respect not to let an _ashmaker_ speak for her," he snarled at Zuko. Zuko flinched, scowling; Jin could see steam rising from between his fingers as sweat boiled off his palms. 

" _Actually,_ my _cousin_ and I are here with our uncle," she said, plastering on her biggest, fakest smile. "We're supposed to meet him again before sundown. We're traveling to find an earthbending master to teach me — I didn't have much opportunity to learn, so I'm afraid my skills are lacking. The Army wouldn't accept me to clean the floors, let alone to fight." 

Chéng-gong looked suspicious. "Your _uncle?"_

Jin nodded, trying to signal to Zuko _help me_ with her eyes. "Yes! In fact, I was wondering if you had seen him?"

He frowned. "I wouldn't know — what does your uncle look like?"

Zuko's eyes flickered toward the door, his right one widening marginally. "Oh, I'm sure you'd recognize Uncle **_KUSTAA_** if you saw him. He's pretty hard to miss."

Chéng-gong looked as baffled as Jin felt; but right at that moment the doors swung open with a _creak._

"Ah, of course! I thought I heard my favorite niece and nephew!"

Jin slumped in her chair, relieved to hear the healer's voice. Chéng-gong, on the other hand, looked even more baffled (if that was possible). 

" _You_ are their uncle?" he asked dubiously. "How on earth —"

"My father was a sailor; my two brothers followed in his footsteps." Kustaa sank into the chair Chéng-gong had been about to take, beaming. "I suppose it was only natural they met their wives away from home. Their loves, however unconventional, gifted me with dear Jin and Lee."

Chéng-gong looked dumbstruck. "I —"

"Now, my dear niece and nephew." Kustaa stood up. "I believe we agreed to meet your parents before noon."

"Uh - Yes, we did!" Jin stood. "And we're _terribly_ late. I'm sorry, Uncle, we completely lost track of the time!"

"It's alright, we should just get back to your parents." Kustaa offered a hand to Zuko, pulling him to his feet. "Have a good day, Mr...?"

"Chéng-gong," he said. "Good day."

Jin and Zuko both breathed sighs of relief as they exited the tea shop. "Thank you," Jin said, smiling. "Yeah, thanks, Healer Kustaa," Zuko said.

"You mean thank you, _Uncle Kustaa,_ my dear nephew." Kustaa smiled.

Zuko scowled. "No! Jin's the one who came up with that cover story."

"You're the one who _claimed_ Kustaa was our uncle," Jin pointed out.

"Shut up."

"You know, I could have sworn you were supposed to stay out of trouble," Kustaa remarked. 

"We _were._ Jin wanted tea." Zuko shot her a glare. 

"Where are the others?"

"They went to the river. We convinced them to go without us." 

Kustaa sighed heavily. "I expect a full story later. For now, _I_ still have shopping to do. Go on — and don't take any more detours."

"Yes, sir," Jin said, biting her lip. Kustaa nodded, turning to walk away.

"I really expected better of my nephew and his friend," he called over his shoulder. 

Zuko scowled, looking ready to start an argument with the healer. Jin sighed, turning around, and headed down the road. 

"Come on, _Lee_." 

Jin heard a loud growl full of incomprehensible (probably not child-appropriate) words, before he fell into step beside her. 

"He is _not_ my Uncle." 

"I'm not the one who said he was."

He growled, looking away, and seethed in silence, steam coming off his palms again. 

_I'm never going to understand him, a_ _m I?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out like twice as long as I meant for it to, and I didn't even get to the part I meant to write. I'm sorry if it's incomprehensible or drawn-out. I really tried.


	28. 28; 'adopting strange animals is always an excellent idea.'

It wasn't difficult to find the others; all they had to do was follow the obnoxious, headache-inducing laughter coming from behind the treeline at the edge of the village. 

"Hey! You finally showed up!" Toklo called as Zuko pushed through a tangle of vines to get into the river clearing. "It's about time. The water's getting cold."

Zuko glared at him. "It's a river. It was cold to begin with."

"You can't prove it." Toklo grinned, climbing out of the water. "You getting in?"

"He has to." Akela walked over, elbowing Toklo in the side. If she hadn't spoken, Zuko thought he might not recognize her; he'd _never_ seen her hair down before. "Someone has to teach my baby cousin to swim."

"I can _hear_ you," Panuk growled from where he sat under a tree, very prominently _not_ near the water. "I'm not a baby, you're a _month_ older than me."

She shrugged. "Whatever. _Baby_." 

Zuko frowned, looking between the two. "I never agreed to teach anyone how to swim."

"Who's teaching someone how to swim?" 

Zuko turned, frowning, to look at Jin, who had just entered the clearing and was twisting her hair into a pair of braids. "Nobody."

"There's nothing wrong with not knowing how to swim, Zuko." She smiled, tying off a braid and tossing it over her shoulder. "I could teach you. I didn't like swimming, but I had to learn."

"I know how to swim!" he snapped. "The Fire Nation is made of _islands. Everyone_ knows how to swim."

"Really?" Toklo, for some reason, seemed _surprised._ "You'd think, being the _Fire_ Nation, you guys would avoid water like a plague."

"Water doesn't stop firebending. _Cold_ water does." He rolled his eyes. "We're at the equator. It's _hot._ The water never gets cold enough to do any harm." 

"Wow." Toklo looked amazed. " _Crazy."_

"That was a lovely geography lesson," Akela said dryly, clapping Zuko on the shoulder. "Come on, you gonna swim or not?" 

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Someone has to keep you idiots from drowning..."

~

The river wasn't too wide, and though it was deep, the water flowed slowly enough that it wasn't dangerous. The stones at the bottom were smooth and slippery, and felt nice against the soles of her feet. 

"Hey, everyone! Watch this!" Toklo shouted. Jin looked up and saw him standing on a tree limb, braced like he was about to —

"Toklo, you're an idiot!" Akela shouted. 

"Do a backflip!" Panuk encouraged. Zuko rolled his eyes, going back to messing with the sand on the riverbank. 

"Don't be stupid, Toklo," he called. "If you die, _I'm_ not helping drag your body back."

"That's very sweet, Zuko," Toklo said. "I'm not going to die."

Jin sighed, shaking her head, and swam upstream to join Zuko on the bank. 

"What're you doing?" she asked, wringing water out of her braids and sitting down on a rock. He shrugged. 

"Looking at rocks." He gestured to a small pile of pebbles next to him. "I figured you might want some different kinds. To practice bending on."

Jin picked up one of the rocks, a small orange one about as thick as a coin, with black spots. Looking at the pile, she could see quite a few like that, along with reddish-brown ones, and round blue-grey ones, and shiny white ones. All of their corners were worn down by the water, and only one or two were the rougher sandstone that most of the bank was made of. None of them looked like the gravel and pebbles she'd practiced with all her life. 

"They're all really pretty," she remarked. "Thanks."

He looked about to reply, but a loud splash, followed by a chorus of shouts, cut off whatever he was going to say. His ponytail smacked Jin in the face as he whipped his head around to look. 

"Woo-hoo! That was _awesome!"_ Toklo shouted. "Told you I wouldn't die!"

Zuko's jaw twitched like he was hiding a smile. "I'm going next."

Jin elbowed his shoulder. "I'll race you." 

"You'll _lose_."

"Yeah, right." 

~

" _How_ are you so _fast?"_ Jin complained, clambering onto the branch. Zuko rolled his eyes. 

"Practice." He looked down at the water below. It looked a lot farther down from up here than it had from below, but the palace roofs were even higher, and he managed those just fine. He'd just have to land right, and not let the air get knocked out of him. 

_Which will be a lot easier now, without Azula to startle me or push me over._

"First one all the way to shore wins?" Jin asked, pulling leaves out of her hair. Zuko nodded. 

"Yes. And no shoving or dunking," he said. "It's supposed to be fair." 

She smiled. "Alright. No cheating." 

"No earthbending, either," he added with a glance toward the numerous stones at the bottom of the river. 

"I'm not a monster, Zuko. I'm not going to use my bending to cheat at a _game."_ Jin gave him a look like that was obvious, like, _'Why would I?'_

_Try that attitude with Azula. See how well that game goes._

"Panuk, can you count us down?" Zuko called. Panuk raised his hand, three fingers extended. 

"Three...two...one."

Zuko took a deep breath, let go of the branch he was using to steady himself, and jumped. 

The water was colder and deeper than he had anticipated, and it took longer than he liked to swim up to the surface. Jin had already gotten a head start on him, and was almost halfway to shore. Zuko ground his teeth, kicking hard against the water.

He barely managed to pass her; when he reached the rocks she was almost alongside him, and when he climbed out her hands were just behind his heels. He went a little faster to get further away — just on the off-chance she might cheat and drag him back at the last second. 

"Nice job, Zuko!" Toklo grabbed Zuko's hand, hauling him up the rest of the rocks. 

"I told you I'd win," Zuko said, looking over his shoulder at Jin as she climbed up on the rocks. 

"You were right." She wrung water out of her braids, smiling. "Guess I need practice."

_What, no complaining? Nothing about how I must have cheated? Nothing about how I'm better with water than with fire?_

_Weird._

_~_

"All right, everyone! Sun's getting low!" Akela called, picking up her tunic. "We should head back." 

Zuko groaned, rolling over onto his back, his elbow hitting Panuk in the stomach. Panuk spluttered indignantly, glaring at him. "Sun's still up," Zuko mumbled, pointing to the sky. 

"Not for long. We can't stay here all day while you lay around like a bunch dead racoon-cats." She picked up the boys' tunics, balling them up and tossing them at their respective owners. 

"Thanks, Kel," Toklo muttered, dragging his tunic over his head. "C'mon, Zuko." He jabbed a finger into the ribs of the younger boy, who had stretched out on his back with the rolled-up tunic under his head. Zuko smacked Toklo's hand away, curling up like a caterpill-bug. 

"Don't make me drag you out of here," Akela threatened. "I will carry you through town like a baby if I have to." 

"You hate carrying me," Zuko pointed out. 

_Ugh. He's right._ "Then get up! Or I'll tell Chief Hakoda why we were late. He's not above using his _Disappointed-Dad_ look on the crew."

Zuko visibly tensed, and before Akela could wonder why, he was on his feet and pulling his tunic on. Panuk begrudgingly followed suit, shaking sand out of his pants before putting them on. 

Zuko was one of the first out of the clearing, pulling Jin with him by the wrist. Panuk went next, but Toklo pulled Akela aside before she could follow. 

"What do you want?" she snapped, annoyed; now wasn't the time to try and _woo_ her, or whatever _he_ called it. To her surprise, though, Toklo looked serious. 

"Don't use Hakoda as a threat, Kel." 

She frowned. "Why? It was a joke."

"Akela, didn't you stop to think that _maybe_ he might have a _different idea_ of what a disappointed dad looks like?" 

Akela rolled her eyes. _Knew you were stupid, didn't know it was **this** bad_. "You don't actually _believe_ what Jie said, do you?" she asked, incredulous. "That's propaganda! They probably say the same things in the Fire Nation about Chief Hakoda, or my uncle, or Arnook!" She crossed her arms. "It doesn't make it true just because Jie believes it." 

Toklo's face hardened. "No. Jie believing it _doesn't_ make it true. So it's a good thing I bothered to _ask Zuko about it,_ instead of forming my own conclusions."

Akela stared at him, speechless. 

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to make sure my friend is okay after what you said." Toklo stepped around her, walking through the trees. Akela watched him walk off, pressing her lips together. 

_Nice going. You're supposed to be the responsible one._ She kicked a tree, letting out a groan of frustration, before following after the others. 

_Responsible, my ass._

_~_

The sun hadn't yet reached the horizon when Zuko and the others reached the _Akhlut;_ Nor had the rest of the crew returned to the ship. Zuko breathed an inward sigh of relief, sitting down in the patch of sunlight at the end of the gangplank to wait. 

He didn't realize he had dozed off until he found something poking him in the face and waking him up.

"Stoppit, Toklo," he grumbled, reaching to swat the hand away; instead he found — _feathers?_ He opened his eyes, scrambling backwards away from the creature that had its weird, oval-pupiled eyes fixed on him. Its beak — evidently what it had been poking him with — was opened slightly in an almost inquisitive expression. 

"You're not Toklo."

The goose-goat honked in agreement. 

Zuko sighed, holding out a hand. The goose-goat honked again, poking his hand with its beak. Its tiny hooves _clack_ ed on the wooden dock. Zuko supposed it couldn't be full-grown yet, going by the soft, downy feathers and barely-there horns. 

"You made a new friend?" Jin asked, sitting up and rubbing sleep out of her eyes. Zuko frowned. 

"No. I am not being friends with an animal."

Jin shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Zuko sighed, scratching the little goose-goat under the chin. "Will you peck her for me?" 

_'Honk.'_

"Not even a little?" 

Jin crossed her arms. "Not being friends with an animal, huh?"

_'Honk!'_

"Okay, okay! Sorry!" 


	29. 29; 'hurting people, ruining lives'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for stabbing and blood. This isn't gonna be a happy chapter.

"Toklo, can't you keep up?" Zuko asked again, looking over his shoulder. "She's not going to hurt you."

Toklo gave a wary glance toward the goose-goat trotting at Zuko's side, happily chewing on his tunic. "I'm not sure about that."

"Don't be a baby." Jin stooped down, scratching the animal between the tiny horns. "Yuki's a sweetheart. She'd never hurt anyone." 

"If you lose an arm —"

"Oh, for crying out loud." 

"Look, Chief Hakoda left me in charge of you two, and if that thing —"

"We were fine on our own yesterday!" Jin looked over her shoulder, giving him the second-best _'are you stupid?'_ look he'd ever seen.

_Someone's been taking lessons from Zuko._

"Kustaa had to rescue you from that seedy tea shop!"

"It wasn't _seedy._ Just dirty. There was _one_ weird guy, and we could have handled him on our own!" Zuko glared at Toklo. "We _were_ handling him. We had a cover story and everything. Kustaa showing up was lucky."

"You just want me gone so you can —"

"Shut up. I'm not even _going_ with her," Zuko argued. "If we split up, I can go get what I need, and you two can go ahead to the inn and let them know why I'm late." 

_Yeah, right. Or you'll end up dead in a ditch. Fat chance, buddy._

"Look, I _just_ need to pick up a needle and thread, and that store is all the way across town from the inn." Zuko crossed his arms. "I can take care of myself, and when I'm done I can meet you guys. There's no sense in getting the Chief worried when you two can just explain where I am."

"He has a point," Jin said, annoyingly smug. "He'll be fine."

Toklo bit his lip, hesitant. "Promise you'll come right back?" 

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Of course."

"Fine." Toklo pressed a few coins into his hand, giving him the sternest look he could muster. "No detours. Okay?"

" _Alright._ Can I _go,_ now?"

"Alright! Go!" 

Jin sighed, grabbing Toklo's arm as Zuko walked off, muttering something under his breath. 

"Come on, Yuki!" she chirped, snapping her free hand to beckon the goose-goat. "Let's go. He'll be fine." 

_Probably,_ Toklo thought. _**I** wouldn't mess with him. _

_~_

_Alright. The shop is this way. Fifth place from the left —_

_Or was it from the right?_

_Wait. Maybe it was the place on the end —_

Zuko paused for half a second. The street looked empty — unusually so, for the time of day it was — but he had the strangest feeling of being watched. He clenched his fists, pushing away the thought. There was no reason for anyone to be watching him _._ He walked to the end of the road, stepping into the shop.

Black thread and a paper of needles were easy enough to find. There was thread on the ship, but Panuk, like an idiot, had dropped their last needle on laundry day, and the thread they had was too thick for the stitching his pants needed. He paid at the counter and left.

Something still felt _off_ as he headed back across town, and he got the sense there was something or some _one_ behind him, but every time he looked over his shoulder there was nothing there besides the villagers, none of whom paid him any attention — not that he could see, anyway. But invisible spirits were something little _kids_ were scared of. 

The town's layout was incredibly inconvenient — every other street was a full house's height lower than the one before, gradually going down to sea level. Stone stairs led down from each level, but a staircase might be at the very end of one street, the very middle of another, or built at random between two houses on the next.

It wasn't very helpful if you were in a hurry, which Zuko was, a little bit.

Two levels down, with three still to go before he reached the inn, and he glanced over his shoulder again. This time, though, he saw the blur of green as someone ducked between two buildings. 

_So I **am** being followed. _The thought sent a chill up his spine, and he reached out of habit for his knife — the knife he'd left in his room on the _Wani_ three months ago. 

And he was in the middle of the least populous part of the village, where there were no witnesses — _why_ hadn't he let Toklo come with him?

_Because I'm an **idiot.**_

"Look what we have here." 

Zuko clenched his fists, turning around. "Why have you been following me?" 

The other boy stared him down, one hand on the large knife in his belt. "I'm making sure you don't hurt anyone."

"Why would I —"

"Don't play dumb. Nobody from the Water Tribe wears their hair like that. Or the Earth Kingdom." 

Zuko scowled. "What does that have to do with anything?"

The boy stepped closer, glaring down at Zuko — he had to be at least a foot taller, but didn't look much older than Toklo. "Didn't I just tell you not to play dumb? There's only one reason the Fire Nation ever come here. To steal, and terrorize people, and take away as many earthbenders as they can find."

 _How **dare** you? _"That's not true," Zuko spat. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yeah, right. What'd you do with the girl? Send her with your commander to some prison boat?" He tilted his head, giving Zuko a disgusted look up and down. "Or did you just kill her?"

Zuko realized he was talking about Jin. "She's _fine._ I didn't do anything to her," he snapped. Who did this guy think he _was?_ "Just leave me alone."

"Where'd you get the Water Tribe clothes?" He pushed, ignoring Zuko. "I'm surprised you got the blood out. I would've thought you'd _like_ the red."

"I didn't steal them." Zuko turned, grinding his teeth. " _Leave me alone."_

"I don't think so!" A hand jerked Zuko's ponytail back. "You're gonna take me to the rest of your group." 

Zuko's heart climbed into his throat, pounding like it was trying to escape. He twisted, shoving the boy away — and smoke rose in the air as his hands hit the boy's shirt. 

Zuko pulled his hands back in shock as the boy jerked backward, wide-eyed; a moment later those eyes narrowed, mouth twisting in a snarl. 

" _Ashmaker."_

Before Zuko could register the movement, a fist collided with his mouth; a second later, something hit his stomach hard and he doubled over. He tasted blood filling his mouth, felt the tooth knocked loose by the punch. 

"Think twice before you burn someone next time." 

Zuko spat out the blood and looked up. "I didn't mean to!"

"Yeah, right." The boy cracked his knuckles, smirking coldly. "That's all you ashmakers are good at — hurting people, ruining lives." He came closer, drawing his knife and grabbing Zuko's chin. "You can tell me where your _friends_ are, or I can kill you right now."

Zuko growled. "There's nobody to lead you to! And I'm not telling you _ANYTHING!"_ He jerked his chin from the boy's grasp, straightening and raising his hands. Even without looking, he could feel the heat building in them as they caught fire. The boy's eyes grew wide, gold flame reflected against the dark irises —

And then came _pain —_ bruised _,_ stinging, burning pain. From the corner of his eye he saw the knife swinging through the air, flinging drops of blood like rain. The flames stuttered, and went out entirely as Zuko's hands dropped, clutching at his belly and coming away red. Zuko squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to look down and see the wound and just how bad it was. His legs felt weak, his mind all too aware of all that _blood —_

A pair of hands hit his shoulder, sending him stumbling off the road, toward the ten-foot drop between levels —

And he fell.


	30. 30; 'cleaning up from disaster'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for blood and non-graphic description of injuries.
> 
> Sorry for that last chapter. And this one, because it's not exactly sunshine and rainbows. While we're at it I'll apologize in advance for the next one too, because it's not happy either. After that we should be back to only a moderate amount of misfortune.

Hakoda stood outside, watching the street. Toklo and Jin had arrived safely fifteen minutes ago, and it shouldn't be long before Zuko returned too. The streets weren't hard to navigate, and it was a fairly straight line from the inn to the upper level of shops.

Despite this knowledge, Hakoda couldn't help feeling uneasy. He'd been told by Kustaa of Jin and Zuko's run-in the day before with Chéng-gong, and the knowledge that at least some people of the village had enough knowledge of the Fire Nation to recognize its people wasn't comforting.

_He'll be alright. And if he's more than fifteen minutes, someone can go and find him._

_It'll be fine._

_~_

Toklo watched the door anxiously. Twenty minutes, and Zuko _still_ wasn't back. 

"Relax, Toklo," Jin said, nudging his shoulder. "He'll be back."

"I could've gone with him, and sent you ahead." Toklo tapped his nails on the table. "I should have."

" _Toklo._ There's no use worrying over it, he'll be fine! He probably just couldn't find the stairs. They're a pain to find." 

Toklo sighed, crossing his arms. "You're probably right..."

~

"Akela, will you go and find Zuko, and bring him back here?" 

Akela looked up from her cards, frowning at Chief Hakoda. "Can't you send Toklo? I don't know where the store is."

"There's no way Zuko's still at the store," Toklo pointed out. "He's probably lost."

"And I'll get lost too," Akela pointed out. 

"Never mind," Hakoda said, sighing. "I'll go myself."

"I'll go with you," Toklo volunteered. 

"Me too," Jin added. 

Hakoda sighed. "Alright. Let's go." 

Akela looked back at her cards, sighing. "Got any sixes of Air?"

Tuluk glanced up from his cards. "Go fish."

~

Three levels up, and they still hadn't found Zuko, when Toklo grabbed Hakoda's sleeve with a stricken expression. 

"Hakoda? Is that..." He pointed to the dark red spots on the stone path. Hakoda felt that familiar, knife-in-the-chest sensation of fear. 

_Oh, no._

His eyes followed the trail off the road, right to the edge, between the roofs of two houses —

"There wasn't any blood on the street below..." Jin's eyes grew wide. She ran to the edge, crouching down. Hakoda followed, heart pounding as he looked down, _hoping_ it was anything or anyone but —

"Oh, _no..."_ Jin covered her mouth, horrified.

"Jin, run to the inn and bring Kustaa back here. _Now."_

She nodded, standing shakily and running off. Hakoda grabbed Toklo's arm and ran, until they were on the street below, in front of the alley. 

"Do you think he's...?" Toklo swallowed. "I shouldn't have let him go alone."

"It isn't your fault." Hakoda sighed, walking down the alley. Toklo followed, running to kneel beside Zuko, who was curled up in the corner between a house and the stone wall supporting the higher level. 

"He's breathing." Toklo's voice was thick with emotion, but it was easy enough to hear his relief. "He's breathing." 

Hakoda sighed in relief, walking closer. 

~

Someone had found Zuko. He didn't know why, or what they wanted, but now there were two people in the alley with him and he was _terrified._

 _Please just leave me alone,_ he wanted to beg, but he couldn't get his mouth to form the words. _I haven't done anything wrong._

Through his barely-open eyes he watched as the smaller figure ran forward, kneeling next to him, and said something to the other person. 

The other person...whose face he couldn't see because it was dark, and the sun was behind them, but they looked so tall, and they were coming toward him _w_ _hy are you coming toward me what did I do —_

A hand reached out toward him. 

He threw his hands in front of his face.

Someone shouted his name. 

~

Hakoda reared back as fire shot out of Zuko's hands — only a small amount, but _hot._

"Zuko!" Toklo shouted, catching hold of the other boy's wrists. The flames went out, and Zuko slowly lowered his hands, staring wide-eyed up at Hakoda. He gasped, a look of shock on his features for just a moment, before it was overtaken by devastation...and fear. 

" _No."_

_~_

_"No."_

Zuko's heart raced. He'd almost burned someone — almost burned _Hakoda,_ and if that wasn't a death sentence — but Chief Hakoda didn't look angry. _Why_ didn't he look _angry?_

"Zuko, it's okay," the voice he now recognized as Toklo's whispered. "You're alright. You don't have to be scared." The hands around Zuko's wrists moved, one arm resting across his shoulders; Zuko tried not to look at the blood on Toklo's hands. _It's still bleeding, why is it still bleeding?_ He tried not to get dizzy at the thought. 

"Jin's gone to get Kustaa. They'll be here soon," Toklo continued, his other hand resting on top of Zuko's over the wound. 

"Who did this to you, Zuko?" Chief Hakoda asked, kneeling down. Zuko swallowed; _Now_ Hakoda was looking angry, but he wasn't looking at _Zuko —_ rather, the wound across Zuko's belly. Anything felt better than being _directly_ on the receiving end of that look.

"I don't know. He didn't exactly introduce himself." 

The Chief frowned, eyes darkening. "Didn't anyone try to stop him?"

Zuko restrained himself from rolling his eyes — he was pretty sure that'd make his head hurt worse. "No." 

"What did he _do?"_ Toklo asked; Zuko felt fingertips at the back of his head, where he'd hit it on the ground. "You've probably got a concussion after that fall..."

"I'm fine," Zuko growled. He wasn't sure what a _concussion_ was, but he'd had them before and survived. "He had a knife. He used it."

Toklo sighed. "I can see that. Put your arms around me, I'm getting you up off the ground."

Zuko reluctantly complied, wincing as the motion pulled at his cut. Toklo must have noticed, because he grimaced. 

"Chief, maybe we should try and meet Kustaa halfway. Zuko's gonna need stitches for that, and this —" he jerked his head to the side. "Isn't a good place for that."

Chief Hakoda sighed, standing. "You're right. Can you carry him?"

"Of course, Chief."

"I can walk," Zuko protested, even though the pain _all over his body_ was indicating he should probably _not do that._ He'd feel better knowing where he was going.

"Not a chance." Toklo's arms shifted, lifting Zuko under the knees an shoulders. "Just hold on. You'll be alright."

 _Please do not let him drop me,_ Zuko prayed silently, shutting his eyes tightly as Toklo staggered to his feet. He held on with the little strength left in his arms, hoping they found Kustaa quickly. 

"You'll be okay," Toklo said. 

_I hope so,_ Zuko thought. 


	31. 31; 'Kustaa: *cocks gun* I'm a healer, but...'

Zuko's nails dug into the back of Toklo's neck; his weight put a strain on Toklo's arms, and the smell of blood all over him was almost overwhelming. The mess on his clothes and face was _nightmarish_. 

But Zuko was _alive._ Toklo was glad for the nails digging into him, because he needed the help believing it. 

_I'm never leaving you alone like that. Ever. Again._

"I can carry him," Hakoda offered. 

"Nope. I've got him." Toklo knew he was being stubborn, but couldn't bring himself to care. "We'll be fine."

"There's no 'we' in this situation," Zuko grumbled, lifting his head from Toklo's shoulder. "I'm the one who's _dying_ here." 

"Would you prefer if Hakoda carried you?" Toklo asked. 

"No." 

"Alright." 

They found Kustaa and Jin a street over, nearly getting knocked over as Jin dragged the healer along at a breakneck speed. 

"Whoa!" Hakoda held out his hands, stopping them. "We're here. We have Zuko." 

Kustaa stepped forward, eyes sweeping over the half-conscious Prince in Toklo's arms. "Get him to the inn. I'll need a table to work on him." 

"You're going to stitch him up on a table in an _inn?"_ Toklo asked, incredulous. "Is that safe?"

"The town's healer lives all the way at the upper level," Kustaa pointed out. "Would you rather carry Zuko up there?"

"No," Zuko mumbled into Toklo's shoulder. "Not doing that. Don't wanna get dropped."

"He's awake?" Jin asked, red-rimmed eyes fixing on Zuko. 

"For now, but he needs medical attention." Hakoda looked at Toklo and nodded. "Take him to the inn. We'll borrow one of the rooms." 

Toklo headed toward the stairs, Jin assisting him in supporting Zuko's weight. The adults followed. 

"It's a good thing I just restocked the painkillers," Toklo heard Kustaa say quietly, with a small grimace. 

"I don't need painkillers!" Zuko snapped, glaring at the healer. 

"Yes you do, nephew."

_Nephew?_

"You're _not_ my Uncle!"

Toklo filed that away in his _'Questions-to-be-asked- **later** '_ folder. 

~

Jin stood at the end of the table, holding Zuko's shoulders. Zuko's jaw was clenched so tight she could hear the creaking of his teeth under the pressure, and his hands clutched the sides of the table with white knuckles. Toklo grimaced, carefully trying to pull the cut edges of Zuko's tunic out of the laceration across his abdomen. 

"Almost...done..." Toklo made one last pull, tongue between his teeth. "There!" 

Zuko blinked rapidly, shakily reaching up to wipe his eyes. Toklo rolled up the bloody tunic, looking queasy. 

"You alright, Zuko?" Jin asked, patting his shoulder. 

"No," he said bluntly, pushing her hand away. "Stop touching me." 

"Sorry." 

"Jin, you need to hold him down again," Kustaa said, walking in with a large pot of water. "I have to clean that. From the looks of it, it's going to hurt." 

"I don't need to be held down!" Zuko snapped. "Just do it!"

"Be patient, Nephew." 

_"I'm_ _not your nephew!_ And I _am_ being patient, believe me! I waited twenty spirits-damned minutes in that alley!" Jin had to grab Zuko's shoulders again to keep him from sitting up. 

"I'm aware," Kustaa deadpanned, rolling up his sleeves. "However, you also refused to take any kind of painkiller —"

"Because I want to know what's going on with my own body." Zuko set his jaw stubbornly, jerking his shoulders away again. "I can deal with the pain."

Kustaa sighed. "I'll numb the area with ice, at least. The stitches won't hurt too badly." 

Zuko scowled. "Fine." 

The healer disappeared out of the room again. Toklo sighed, walking over and leaning on the table. 

"How're you feeling, buddy?" 

"Stop calling me _buddy,"_ Zuko grumbled. "I'm _fine."_

Toklo nodded, stepping back as Kustaa came back in, holding a hunk of ice. 

"Hold still," he instructed, carefully wrapping a rag around the ice and laying it on the wound. Zuko winced, and Jin didn't miss the goosebumps that raised on his arms. 

_Yikes._ Zuko's skin under her hands was warm enough that, in anyone other than a firebender, it would be concerning; having _ice_ laid on it must be unbearable. Especially right over a cut like that. 

"How's it feeling?" Kustaa asked, looking up. Zuko blinked, eyes watery. 

"Cold." 

Jin thought it was a little unprofessional of Kustaa to roll his eyes then, but she could understand the need. 

"Let me know when it feels numb," he said, standing. "I'm going to make some tea." 

"Ugh. Now you _do_ sound like Uncle..."

Jin wondered if Zuko had another uncle who _wasn't_ the Dragon of the West. Maybe on his mom's side. Did he even have a mom? He'd never mentioned her if so. 

Kustaa left, and Zuko held his hand out toward Toklo. "Give me that."

Toklo followed the line of Zuko's hand, before raising an eyebrow at him and pointing at the bloody tunic he still held. "This?"

"Yes. Give it here."

Jin wrinkled her nose. _"Why?"_

"I need something under my head. This table's hard, and I'm pretty sure I have a bruise." Zuko snapped his fingers, glaring sternly at Toklo. "Give. It. Now."

Jin rolled her eyes. "You're not putting that thing anywhere near your face, you maniac. It's not gonna help." She looked at Toklo. "Go get my purse from the table. The old purse, _not_ the one full of rocks," she clarified after noticing his bewildered expression. 

"Sure thing, ma'am." Toklo shoved the tunic under his arm, shaking his head and walking out.

Zuko sighed, poking gingerly at the area around his wound. "Think it's numb now..."

Jin reached over, nudging his hand away. "Don't _poke_ it, dummy." 

He winced, even though she had barely touched his hand. It might be a good idea for Kustaa to check that out — a broken hand might not ever work right if it wasn't healed properly.

"Just lay down, alright? Wait for Kustaa."

Zuko rolled his eyes, looking like it hurt to do so, and lowered his hands.

~

Hakoda paced outside the room they had borrowed for Kustaa's use, watching through the half-open door as Jin held Zuko down on the table, and by some miracle managed to _keep_ him there. Kustaa impatiently tapped his fingers on a table as he waited for his tea to heat up. 

"I hate doing stitches," he grumbled. "And did you see all that dirt? It'll take forever to clean that out. Why couldn't he have passed out on a nice, clean stone floor? Because it would have made my job _easier."_

Hakoda thought he was finished, but was proven wrong seconds later. 

"Who stabs a _kid,_ anyway? Besides Aake," he added. "It's not like he has money. Doesn't even _look_ like it." 

Hakoda sighed, turning away from the door. "I have a feeling I know why."

Kustaa huffed. "It's a clean cut, at least. I can appreciate that. When I've got my nephew fixed up, maybe I'll get myself a _new knife_." 

Hakoda raised an eyebrow. "You're a healer."

"Yes. It would _heal_ my soul knowing there's not a child-killer running loose in this town." 

Hakoda could get behind that sentiment. "I suppose so." 

Kustaa held his hand near the teapot for a second before taking it off the fire. 

"Apparently his other Uncle likes tea."

"So I heard." Hakoda wasn't sure why Kustaa had so happily adopted the role of Uncle to the Prince, and he was fine with keeping it that way for now. "I'm not sure being compared to the Dragon of the West is a compliment."

"Well, not with that attitude." He stood up, putting the tea on a tray. "See you in five hours, if I'm lucky." 

Hakoda stepped back and let him go back into the room, shutting the door behind him. 

_I hope it's not that long,_ he thought. _Poor kid needs some rest. We all do._

He sat down in Kustaa's abandoned chair, running a hand through his wolftail. 

it wasn't long before the shouting started again; _'Hold him down!'_ and _'Stay on the table!',_ interspersed with pained cries and frustrated growls — both of which sounded like they came from the same person. 

"Sounds like they're having fun in there," Toklo remarked, coming toward the door with Jin's purse over his shoulder. "Wish me luck." 

"Yeah, try not to get kicked in the face," Panuk advised. "Get his boots off if you plan on holding him down." 

"Got it." Toklo pushed the door open, cringing as Jin shouted some curses Hakoda was sure she could only have picked up from sailors. He stepped inside and shut the door. 

"I do not envy _him,"_ Akela murmured, grimacing as she unrolled a scroll on the table. "Seen Zuko practicing on deck at night. Kid could probably kill someone with those feet."

 _That's probably the point,_ Hakoda thought, leaning his chair back against the table, wincing as he heard another shout. 

"Let's hope they get through this without that happening," he said. "I'd hate to lose our healer." 

_"STAY ON THE DAMN TABLE, KID."_

"I doubt that'll be a problem, Chief," Tuluk remarked.

"Yeah. You're probably right." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a bit longer than usual, it's been a tiring weekend. Hope you enjoyed!


	32. 32; 'Zuko doesn't get paid enough to put up with this crap.'

Twenty-five stitches. Zuko only fainted twice, and was informed by Jin that he'd used some pretty _colorful_ language while Kustaa was cleaning the cut. He didn't really remember anything he said, just that Kustaa kept digging in his cut with his tweezers, and it hurt a lot, and _I take it back, you can give me the painkillers now, okay?_

Not that Kustaa _listened,_ just kept on poking around like he owned the place. 

At least he gave Zuko some tea after it was all over and the bandages were wrapped over the sutured wound.

"Jin told me she thinks your hand might be broken," Kustaa said, coming back over to the table. "Can I have a look at it?"

Zuko frowned. "My hands are fine." He looked at Jin for an explanation. 

"But when I moved your hand earlier, it looked like it hurt." Jin sounded confused. 

_Oh. That._ "That wasn't because my hand was hurt. Azula used to call me _dum-dum_ whenever I said something stupid," he explained. "You called me _dummy._ Kind of reminded me of her." 

Jin's eyes went wide. "Oh. Sorry."

"It's fine." Zuko finished his tea, climbing off the table. "Can I have my clothes back?" 

"You can have my tunic until we get back to the ship," Toklo offered. "Yours isn't wearable anymore. Sorry." 

Zuko eyed the dirt and blood stuck to Toklo's clothes with a grimace. "I'll pass." 

"Can you walk on your own?" Jin asked. 

"Yeah. I'll be fine." He did feel dizzy, but now that his blood was staying _inside_ where it _belonged,_ it wasn't so bad. 

Well. Until he took a step, and the floor came rushing up to meet his face. Jin and Toklo caught him, pushing him back onto his feet. 

"Maybe you need some help," Jin suggested. He scowled, biting back an argument. Whatever got him back to the ship sooner. 

"You did well, Nephew," Kustaa said, patting him on his (badly bruised, but thankfully not broken or sprained) shoulder. "And it doesn't appear you're concussed too badly." 

"I'm not your nephew," Zuko growled in annoyance. "You don't _want_ me as your nephew." 

"Let's get you back to the ship, Nephew." 

Chief Hakoda was outside the room, pacing. Zuko expected a lecture about failure, or maybe disappointed silence. He did _not_ expect a relieved smile and a pat on the back. 

"Glad to see you on your feet, Zuko." 

"Yeah." Zuko managed not to lean too hard on Jin's shoulder as he accepted the Chief's handshake. 

"I hope you don't plan on pulling a stunt like that again anytime soon," Bato said, coming up beside the Chief. "We can't afford to lose our captain to a heart attack." 

"Heart attack," Akela scoffed. _"I_ was worried we'd all go _deaf_ listening to you screaming like a woman in labor." 

"I was not _screaming,"_ Zuko grumbled. 

"I know what I heard. Why didn't you just take the painkillers?"

"And end up in another alley, this time drugged out of my ability to fight back? Brilliant plan." 

She huffed. "We're _all_ going back to the ship, nobody would be able to—" 

"Well, it's kind of late now to do anything about it, isn't it?" Jin interjected, pulling on Zuko's arm. "Come on. No use getting in an argument over this." 

"I agree," Chief Hakoda said, giving Akela a stern look. "We should all head back to the ship."

"You all go ahead," Kustaa said. "I've got cleaning to do. Zuko, take a bath and get some rest once you get back."

Zuko wanted to argue that he wasn't tired. He _was,_ but that didn't mean Kustaa got to just _assume_ it, even if he _was_ a healer. A bath did sound nice, though. He kept his mouth shut just for the sake of getting _out_ of this place faster. 

The walk to the ship was tiring, but Zuko wasn't about to give in to Toklo's pestering and be carried again. 

"I don't understand you, kid," Toklo said, shaking his head. 

" _Kid?_ You're three years older than me," Zuko argued. 

"You'll understand when you're older." Toklo gave him a patronizing pat on the head. _Jerk._ His hands were _cold_ , too. 

"Understand _what?"_

Toklo just shrugged, not giving an answer. 

The now-familiar creaking and swaying under his feet felt welcoming as he stepped onto the deck; the planks were far gentler on his feet than the rough stones of the road. Toklo still had his boots under one arm, having taken them off to _'reduce damage'_ to his _'pretty face'_ while he held Zuko down by the ankles, and while walking barefoot was nice under certain conditions, it wasn't ideal on rocky terrain. 

Scrubbing the mess off...well, everything, took longer than he anticipated, and the water was _freezing._ It would have taken more effort than he had left in him to heat the water, so he chose to conserve his energy. 

_I wish Uncle had had time to teach me that fire-breath thing,_ he thought regretfully, wrapping a blanket around his shoulders; he could get properly dressed later, when he wasn't about to pass out from exhaustion. Zuko made it to his bunk without assistance, laying down and rolling himself in the covers. 

"Wake me up in fifteen minutes, alright?" he asked, remembering the family physician's advice the last time he'd fallen off something and hit his head. Panuk, laying in his own hammock, nodded. 

"Sure thing." 

Zuko nodded, pulling the covers tighter around him and closing his eyes. Sleep hit him as soon as they were shut. 


	33. 33; 'the squad throw hands (and maybe rocks) against one (1) stabby bastard, and Kustaa gets a new knife'

_One more supply run, then we can get **out** of this place, _Akela thought, standing outside the shop while Bato and Panuk haggled with the saleswoman inside. Toklo sat on the ground, drawing a picture in the dust while Jin tried to guess what it was.

Akela tapped her foot on the ground, looking around. In the alley beside the shop, a group of teens were sharing around a bottle and talking. She was almost tempted to go join them out of boredom, when something one boy was saying caught her ear:

"...Firelord must be getting desperate, they're sending kids out with the soldiers. Got in a fight with one yesterday." 

Akela stopped tapping her foot, frowning and leaning over to listen. Beside her, Toklo tensed, tilting his head, and stood up.

"Really?" A girl asked. "What happened?"

"The little brat wouldn't tell me where the rest of his group were. Tried to firebend at me, too. Probably would've killed me if I didn't have my knife — took forever getting the blood out of my clothes, Mom would've killed me if she saw." 

Foreboding curiosity turned to anger as Akela kept listening. From the corner of her eye, she saw Toklo's fists clench at his sides; Jin stood up. 

" _Sure_ , Heng. You said the same thing last week." 

"No, look! I've got the burns to prove it! Hell, the kid's probably still in that alley if you feel like checking —"

Akela scowled, stepping into the alley with Toklo and Jin right on her heels. The teens stared up at her, wide-eyed. 

"I'm sorry, ma'am — is this your alley? Because we'll get out of here —"

"Which one of you said you stabbed a firebender yesterday?" she interrupted, unable to keep the anger from reaching her voice. 

"Heng," the girl said, pointing to the boy leaning against the wall. "He said it."

Akela clenched her fists.

~

Before Akela could stop him, Toklo pushed through the group until he'd reached the other boy; Heng looked very, very scared. _Good._

"So. _Heng."_

The other boy swallowed, looking nervously down at Toklo. The height difference might have been funny if circumstances were different. "Yes, sir?" 

"You stabbed a firebender. What'd he look like?" 

"I don't see why —"

" _What did he look like?"_

"He was about this tall," he held up a shaking hand at chest height, "Big burn on his face. And he had a ponytail. Rest of his hair was shaved off, you know? And he had on...Water Tribe clothes...oh." Heng's eyes darted between Toklo and Akela. 

"' _Oh'_ is right," Toklo growled. "You almost killed my _friend._ He did nothing to you!" 

Heng's jaw dropped. "You're defending him! He tried to burn me —" he pointed to the light red handprint on his chest, which looked no worse than a light sunburn. "I was acting in self-defense!"

"After you tailed him in the street, and then demanded to know where he was going?" Toklo's fists shook with the effort not to punch the _idiot_ in front of him. " _Zuko_ was the one _defending_ himself! He wasn't armed, and he was _scared."_

"Scared? And _unarmed?_ " Heng scoffed. "He's a _firebender._ Though not a very good one from the looks of it — if he gave _himself_ that burn I can see why his parents shipped him off to the army —"

_SMACK!_

Heng slumped against the wall, slack-jawed and clutching his cheek. Toklo's hand stung, but he felt a lot better. 

"You're the biggest _idiot_ I've ever met," he snarled. "What kind of person assumes a _kid_ is out to kill them?"

"Why else would a firebender be alone in this town?" Heng snapped. "Why else would he be walking around alone, unless he was ready to kill anyone who got in the way?"

"Because he didn't expect an _asshole_ like _you_ to try and _murder him!"_ Toklo's throat was starting to hurt from shouting, but he didn't think he could stop. "He could have _died_ because of you — La's gills, he's a _kid —_ I shouldn't have to carry him through town while he's bleeding out, then listen to him _scream_ while a healer sews up the cut _you gave him —"_

"I'm sorry, okay? It was a mistake!" Heng held his hands out in front of him, wide-eyed. But Toklo wasn't done yet. 

"Damn right it was a mistake! And you know what? Sorry doesn't even _touch_ what you did to him!"

"Toklo's right." Jin stepped up to Toklo's side; Toklo noticed she'd gotten out a couple rocks from her bag. "Sorry _doesn't_ touch it. How many other _kids_ have you hurt because they're firebenders?"

Heng glared at her. "Why do you _care_ so much?" he snapped, looking at both of them. "Haven't you lost family to the Fire Nation?"

"Yes. I have." Jin scowled. "But not to Zuko. _He's_ not the one who ordered my family arrested, and he's not involved with whatever has happened in this town, or to you! Take your fight to _the person responsible_ , and leave innocents out of it." 

"I'm not taking on the Fire Army!" he protested. "Are you crazy? I'll die!"

"Then you're a _coward_ for using someone weaker than you for your little revenge fantasy!" Toklo shot back. "Zuko might be Fire Nation, but he's got more _honor_ than you _ever_ will."

"You take that back!" Heng lunged at Toklo; Jin did some kind of twisting movement with her hands, and his arms were bound to the wall, holding him back. He struggled against it, but failed to free himself. 

Akela strode forward. "Enough," she said, holding up a hand. "Release him, Jin." 

Jin huffed, but broke the restraints. Akela grabbed Heng by the collar, glaring down at him. 

"I'm taking you to the Chief. _He_ can decide what to do with you."

Heng gulped. Toklo and Jin followed Akela out of the alley as she dragged the coward by the collar. 

_Serves him right,_ Toklo thought _._ He couldn't help feeling just a _little_ sorry for the guy, all the same. Chief Hakoda _might_ go easy on him — Healer Kustaa, on the other hand? 

_Yikes._

_~_

Zuko paused in his pacing of the cabin; he thought he heard shouting out on deck. 

_Probably Panuk got into Tuluk's rum again._ He shrugged, resuming his pacing. The yelling continued. 

_Is it just me, or does Tuluk sound a lot like Healer Kustaa?_

_Hm. Strange._

~

"You dealt with that well," Kustaa remarked as Akela dragged the kid back off the ship. 

"The same can't be said for you." Hakoda gave Kustaa a disapproving glare. The healer shrugged. 

"It's a nice knife," he said, tucking the weapon into his belt. "My nephew has to defend himself somehow."

The Chief sighed heavily. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to fit this whole situation into the last chapter (and have Zuko be there during the confrontation) but it ultimately just didn't want to Work, so I had to cut it out. But I reworked it to fit this and I like it a LOT better this way!


	34. 34; 'Hakoda gives a lecture, and Toklo has an (unrelated) internal freak-out session'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Because as satisfying as it may be to see someone get their comeuppance, you can't have your crew performing vigilante justice on Earth Kingdom citizens, especially when you're already on thin ice with the Earth Kingdom for busting one of their prisoners out, and ESPECIALLY especially because, hello, you're also against the Fire Nation and were wary of having one of them in your living space too, ya bunch of hypocrites. 
> 
> 2\. Because nobody knows where the Avatar is, and if the Air Avatar is dead, and all the Southern waterbenders have been captured, and the Fire Nation is hell-bent on stamping out earthbenders wherever they can? That's bad news for EVERYONE except the Fire Nation, and in this situation who WOULDN'T overthink and fear the worst? I know I would, because I just did while writing this.

Zuko had known pretty early on that his friends were idiots. It wasn't too hard to figure out. 

He didn't think they were ' _corner-a-guy-with-a-knife-in-_ _an-alleyway'_ idiots, but it appeared Toklo was full of surprises. 

"Why would you _do that?"_ Zuko asked, flabbergasted. "Do you know how _stupid_ that was?"

"Hey! It was Akela's idea," Toklo defended, like _that_ made it any better. 

"Akela's ideas suck!" Zuko laid his head in his hands, groaning. "I can't believe you went along with it."

"What was I supposed to do?" Toklo huffed. "He _hurt_ you. And he was right there, _bragging_ about it!"

"It was _stupid!_ What if he'd pulled a knife on _you?"_ Zuko fired back. 

"I have my own weapons," Toklo said defensively. "And someone had to bring him back so Chief Hakoda could deal with him!" 

"What concern is it of Chief Hakoda's?" Zuko demanded. "He's not my father." 

_Thank Agni,_ part of him whispered. _Your father wouldn't care at all._

"He's in charge of maintaining the wellbeing of the crew —"

"I'm not one of the crew, either!" Zuko snarled in frustration. 

"For now, you are." Toklo was being _frustratingly_ calm. Probably because he'd gone and used up all his anger on _cornering a spirits-damned knife-wielding maniac —_

"Oma and Shu, Zuko, are you done yet?" Jin interrupted his thoughts, glaring exasperatedly. Zuko didn't really think she had any right to be annoyed with _him_.

"No, I am not done. Did you even _consider —_ _?"_

"Jin? Toklo?" Akela leaned in the doorway, looking serious. "Chief said to come to his office." 

Toklo frowned. "What's he want?"

"Said he had to talk with us. Alone," she added when Zuko moved to follow the others to the door. "You stay here." 

Frowning, Zuko sat back down. Akela backed out, closing the door. 

Zuko sighed. _Idiots._

~

Hakoda sighed, walking into his office. The three teenagers waiting there all held confused looks; they didn't know why they were here. He could tell this was going to be difficult.

He sat down on a crate. "I think we all need to have a talk. I understand that you all care about Zuko, but your actions against Heng today —"

"Chief Hakoda," Akela said. "With all due respect —"

"You'd do well not to interrupt me," he replied evenly. She quieted, looking contrite. 

"I admire that you stood up for your friend. But you should have first taken the matter to the local authorities, rather than taking it into your own hands."

"But Chief Hakoda, he was _right there —"_

"And he probably would have stayed there long enough for you to get a responsible adult." He crossed his arms, sighing. "Toklo, Heng said you hit him."

Toklo bit his lip, looking unashamedly petulant. "Yeah. I did. He hurt my _friend._ Zuko could have _died."_ His voice choked up.

Hakoda frowned. "Toklo. What he did was inexcusable. But it's not for you to deal with, and attacking an Earth citizen, especially a teenager, when we're already on thin ice with the Earth Kingdom —"

_Deep breaths. Don't call him stupid._

"We need to be patching up our relations with them. Not attacking citizens — however much you believe he deserved it."

"But the things he was _saying —"_

"Were influenced by what he has heard and experienced. This town hasn't had a pleasant history with the Fire Nation. It's only recently that the troops stopped coming in regularly — because there are no earthbenders left to take." Hakoda fixed Akela with his sternest look. "You're nineteen, an _adult,_ and you were still ready to have Zuko thrown overboard —"

"After he _blatantly threatened_ me!"

"Heng is younger than Toklo," Hakoda continued, louder. "And the only encounters he's ever had with firebenders have likely been unfortunate ones. Have you forgotten in a few short months that _you_ held the same mindset, and only unlearned it recently?" 

Akela frowned. "I'm not the one who attacked him."

"You allowed it to happen, when you could have avoided the violence altogether." Hakoda turned back to Toklo. "I'm disappointed by your lack of restraint."

Toklo lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Chief Hakoda." 

"I'm aware that the past couple days have been stressful, and that seeing your friend hurt must have been traumatic. But you _cannot_ take out your frustration on other people!" He paused, taking a breath. "If you want to be a warrior, you have to control your impulses and think about the consequences of your actions."

Toklo frowned. "It was pretty impulsive going after Jie's ship and releasing Zuko," he retorted. 

"Yes; it was also dangerously close to being a matter of life and death. Although Zuko was badly hurt yesterday, he lived and the danger is past. If you had been intervening in Zuko's fight, and leveling the field, it would be a different matter. However, that is not what you did — you chose to take revenge, instead of allowing the situation to be handled responsibly."

He sighed. "I talked to Heng, after Kustaa got through with him; From the explanation he gave, he meant to warn Zuko off with the knife. When Zuko summoned fire, he panicked." 

"That's no excuse," Toklo protested.

"It's no excuse, but it is an _explanation,_ and one that may seem familiar to you. Remember when Zuko firebent out of fear when I got close to him? What if I had been an inch closer, and been badly burned?"

Toklo fell silent. Hakoda hoped that meant the point had hit home. 

"Trust me, Heng won't be getting off lightly. The town's authorities will have to pass their judgement. The matter is out of my hands. I want all three of you to think on what I've said; what consequences might this have in the future, how you could have better handled the situation, and _why_ you handled it the way you did." He looked into their faces. "And I hope you carry that information into the future as well."

"Chief Hakoda?" Jin asked quietly. "Aren't you angry? That Zuko was hurt?" 

Hakoda sighed. "Of course I am." _Honestly, you have no idea._ "But there are lines I can't cross, no matter how angry I may be, for the good of the crew and our reputation with our allies, as well as my own morals — harming a child, for revenge or otherwise, is something I _do not want to do._ And the actions of my crew reflect on me. Do you understand?"

All three of them nodded slowly. 

"It won't happen again," Akela said. "I'll be more responsible."

"I hope so." He sighed. "You can go now. All three of you are on dishes for the month. And Zuko isn't allowed to help," he added, realizing it might seem like less of a punishment with Zuko there to heat the water. 

"Yes, Chief," Toklo said quietly, standing with the others. 

Hakoda watched as they left, heads hung, and sighed. _I really hate lecturing._

_But if it keeps them out of trouble in the future..._

_Now to deal with Kustaa._

_~_

Toklo climbed into his hammock, sighing. _I can't believe I got everyone in trouble like that. Why did I have to charge in like that? Zuko's right. I am an idiot._

"What happened?" Zuko asked, sounding concerned (But badly trying to hide it). _I guess that makes sense given his experience with 'discipline'._

"Chief wanted to talk about us fighting with Heng. It was irresponsible and could damage our relations with the Earth Kingdom."

Zuko was quiet. "Heng?" he asked after a minute. 

"The guy who...you know." 

"Oh." Zuko sighed. "Well, I could have told you that."

Toklo frowned, sitting up. "You're saying you _agree_ I shouldn't have hit the guy that stabbed you?"

Zuko looked over from his bunk, wary-looking. "I never said that. An alliance between your Tribe and the Earth Kingdom is bad news for my country, remember?"

Toklo _did_ remember, unfortunately. 

"Plus, it was just stupid. But that doesn't mean Chief Hakoda's _wrong_ , whether I _agree_ with him or not. Actions from the crew reflect on their commander."

"Hakoda said something like that." Toklo sighed. "We're not the only ship in our fleet, though. The others would still be able to continue, with the Earth Kingdom's support." 

"Maybe. But even if that's the case, you'd have to continue without support and eventually run out of supplies." Zuko shook his head. "Supplies are a lot more expensive when you don't have an allowance from your allies. You'd have to turn around and go home, if you could even make it that far."

Toklo frowned. "How do you know so much about this stuff?" 

"I've heard the Chief talking with Bato about it." He paused. "Also, Uncle and I had to deal with finances on the _Wani_. Buying supplies for my own ship cost a _lot,_ even in ports under Fire Nation control, just because we didn't have the military backing."

That was confusing. "Your Uncle's the Firelord's brother, doesn't that count for something?"

"If he were the one in command? Yes." Zuko scowled. "Unfortunately for our finances, the ship is in my name. Or _was —_ Uncle probably had the stupid hunk of metal taken apart for scrap the second he got home. Or maybe put it in a museum." He sighed. "Without a title in front of it, my name's worth about as much as if I just signed the papers with ' _Lee_ '." 

Toklo figured the _Lee_ thing must be a Fire Nation joke he was too Water Tribe to understand. But he got the gist of it. 

"That....sucks," he said. 

"Yes. It does." Zuko rolled over so his back was to Toklo, and sighed. "I hope Uncle didn't get rid of the _Wani._ Getting another ship would take way too long, and if I don't find the Avatar..." 

"Where would you even _look_ for someone who's been missing for a century?" Toklo asked, curious. Zuko shrugged. 

"The Air Temples, first. He's not at the Western Air Temple, but that still leaves the other three." He sighed again. "The few scrolls I found there, and in the royal library at home, said the Air Avatar's birthplace cycles between the Temples, the same way Water Avatars switch between North and South with each incarnation. The Avatar should have been born at the Southern Air Temple." 

"That's where you were going when you fell off your ship," Toklo recalled, trying not to think of why there were Air scrolls on the Firelord's library. 

"Yes." Zuko glanced over his shoulder for a moment. "There might have been information there. The Avatar would have been young when Sozin defeated the Air Army, so it makes sense there wouldn't be a while lot of information on him in the other Temples. We couldn't even find any documents on him." 

Toklo frowned. "But he was the Avatar. Wouldn't they want to keep track of that?"

"The Air Nations didn't announce their Avatar, except among the elders of their home temple, until they were sixteen. Same as the Fire Nation. The Avatar himself might not have even known — Avatar Roku only died a few years before the war began." 

"Oh." Toklo tried not to think about _that_ either — he supposed he should have already known, though, he knew math and dates and _Spirits_ knew he knew how long the war had been going on.

But he'd never given much thought to it all — how the Avatar _would_ have been young, probably young enough he might not even know how to fight properly yet. Would he have survived the massacre of most (if not _all)_ of his people? And could his successor have been one of the hundreds of waterbenders imprisoned or _killed_ by the Fire Nation? Was _their_ successor one of the Earthbenders taken by the Fire Nation, isolated from their natural element and wasting away on metal prison rigs in the middle of the sea? 

And if _they_ had already died — then the Fire Nation had the ultimate weapon right in their pocket. If that was the case, either the Firelord didn't _know_ it, or he _did —_ and Zuko's punishment was even more cruel than Toklo had thought, and the Firelord had a plan, and he sent his _own son_ out to die using his authority as Firelord, so what would he do to the _rest_ of the world with the _Avatar's_ power —

_I have to stop thinking about this, or I'm going to drive myself crazy._

He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to try and stop freaking out. 

_Oh, Spirits, **please** let me be wrong. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely sure how the subject of Toklo and Zuko's conversation changed so drastically over its course, but hey, that's how like 60% of conversations with my family are, so I think I did something right in that.


	35. 35; 'a brief Azula interlude, taking place two weeks prior to the events of the next chapter'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to have this chapter earlier but other stuff ended up taking up the space, so here it is now. Better late than never!

** Two weeks ago **

"Princess Azula!" 

Ty Lee's bright greeting echoed in the courtyard as the pink-clad acrobat twirled and flipped her way to the Princess, landing and bowing deeply for about two seconds before throwing her arms around Azula's shoulders, paying no heed to the armored pauldrons Azula wore. 

"It's been so long! How are you?" 

Azula sighed, holding her chipper friend at arm's length. "I'm just fine, Ty Lee. It hasn't been that long." She looked up, smiling. "Ah, and here's Mai. How nice to see you." 

Mai gave a barely perceptible raise of one eyebrow. "I'm _thrilled_ to be here."

"You know, I never can tell if you're being serious or not." Azula sighed. "Well? Aren't you going to _ask_ why I invited you here?" 

"I'm guessing you're going to tell us either way," Mai said. She was right, but it took some of the joy out of it. 

"Still. Ask." 

"Why?" Ty Lee asked, tilting her head; that ridiculous braid she had swung with the movement. Azula barely resisted the childish urge to grab it and pull; she'd been growing out her nails, and it wouldn't do to get them caught. Instead she smiled, crossing her arms. 

"Dear _Zu-Zu_ wrote to father, asking if he could pretty-please come home." 

Ty Lee's eyes grew comically wide, and even Mai looked surprised. 

"He's found the Avatar?" Ty Lee asked. Azula had to laugh. 

"Of course not. My incompetent brother can barely _find_ his way out of a cupboard." _Believe me, I've locked him in enough of them to know._

"Then...the Fire Lord forgave him?" Ty Lee's voice took on a tone of confusion. 

"Of course not. _Forgive_ Zuko, mere months after his shameful weakness and disrespectful conduct brought shame upon the family?" Azula shook her head. "No, the reason I've summoned you isn't for a tearful reunion, I'm afraid. I need help with something. Father's finished his response and will be sending it out soon, and he's given me permission to write a few words to my dear brother. I thought you two might like the opportunity as well — you especially, Mai." 

Even Mai's careful composure couldn't hide the color that rose in her cheeks. Oh, having her around was so _fun._

"Why would Zuko give up so soon?" Mai asked, in an obvious attempt to change the subject. "It's only been a couple of months since he was banished. He spent longer on less important tasks." 

"That's true," Ty Lee said. Azula smiled. 

"Oh, it's quite an interesting story. Why don't you both come in? We'll have lunch while I tell it." 

Mai and Ty Lee shared eye contact for a moment before nodding. 


	36. 36; 'Ozai sucks: part II'

_I can't believe I never thought to mix sea prunes with noodles,_ Panuk thought, stirring the food in his bowl around while he chewed. _So much more filling!_

Beside him, Zuko was _also_ stirring the food in his bowl while staring at the wall as if it had the secrets of the universe written on it. The baby goose-goat they had discovered in the crew cabin earlier laid on his lap, chewing on Panuk's sleeve. Everyone else has already finished eating and were going about their usual duties on the deck, except for Jin, who stood at the sink scrubbing a pot. 

The peaceful silence broke as the door flew open and Toklo walked in, carrying a long leather tube. 

"You've got mail, Zuko." He tossed the tube on the table next to Zuko's bowl, startling him out of his stupor. Zuko went wide-eyed, picking it up. 

"Some weird mole-bird dropped that off," Toklo informed him. 

"A shirshu-raven," Zuko almost whispered, running his hand over the red insignia on the message tube. "It's from my _Father_." 

His voice broke on the word _father,_ a tiny smile appearing for just a second. He pushed his bowl to the side, pulling the metal cap off the end of the tube. 

Not one, but _four_ scrolls fell out. Zuko frowned, picking one up. "Who else would...?" He opened it, eyes scanning the stationery, which had small flowers doodled in the margins. "This is from Ty Lee."

"Who's Ty Lee?" Toklo raised an eyebrow. "Your girlfriend?" 

"No." Zuko bit his lip. "She's my sister's friend." He rolled the letter up. "One of these must be from Azula, then..." 

Toklo rolled one scroll over to Zuko. "This one's got a fancy ribbon on it." 

"That's the one from Dad." Panuk wasn't sure if Zuko sounded more excited or nervous. He untied the ribbon, opening the tightly rolled scroll. 

He kept it close while he read, and Panuk couldn't see what it said — but he could tell by Zuko's expression it was nothing good. 

Zuko's fists clenched, the parchment wrinkling in his hands. 

Toklo looked concerned. "Zuko —"

Zuko glared at Toklo, slamming his hand on the table. "Leave me alone!" He grabbed the other scrolls, stumbling as he left his seat, and ran out of the kitchen. 

Panuk pushed his bowl away, sighing. He didn't feel hungry anymore. 

~

The crossbeam of the mainmast wasn't comfortable by any means, and it didn't feel particularly safe either; but Zuko's priority was privacy, not safety or comfort. Nobody was going to look for him up here. 

_Why should I care about my **safety,** anyway?_

_Father doesn't._

His eyes burned as he read the horribly short letter again. He was _not_ going to cry. It'd be stupid.

Just like it had been stupid to assume Father would let him come home. 

_It is none of my concern that you have foolishly gotten yourself captured by pirates; your mission is your own responsibility. I have no interest in risking my sailors to be ambushed, for the sake of one banished disgrace; nor will I release the waterbenders. A_ child _would know that giving the_ enemy _such a valuable asset will only mean our own disadvantage. An educated royal such as yourself ought to know better than a peasant child._

 _In regards to your claims of having learned respect — would you really be writing to me, pestering me with your problems, if that was true?_

_The terms of your banishment are final. You will not return without the Avatar; If you attempt such a laughable act, you will be arrested._

_You claimed once to have the Fire Nation's best interest at heart. If you still claim this, you will refrain from wasting my time with foolish complaints._

Zuko rubbed his eyes, sniffing. The words spun around in his head, repeating without end. 

_Foolish. Disgrace. Pestering. Waste of time._

_That's what you get for being naive and soft,_ he scolded himself.

He looked at the other letters in his lap. _Ty Lee wrote; so did Azula._ He supposed the third letter tied with a silky red ribbon must be from Mai, then. 

_And Uncle didn't write at all. Of course he didn't._

He leaned back against the mast, drawing his knees to his chest. 

_What will the Chief do when he finds out I was telling the truth? Will he ditch me at the next port, or..._

His gaze drifted to the dark waves beneath the ship. 

A slight shaking of the mast startled him. He looked down, and his heart sped up. 

_No._

~

"...And then he just ran out," Panuk finished explaining. "We can't find him anywhere."

Hakoda frowned. "Did you check the hold?" 

"Mm-hm." 

"And the belowdeck cabins?"

"We have those?" 

Hakoda sighed, looking up, even though it was mid morning and the moon wasn't out. _Tui, give me strength —_

He frowned, peering up at the mainmast. 

"I think I found him, Panuk." 

Panuk frowned, turning. "On the mast? How'd he get _up_ there?" 

"I don't know. But we'd better get him down. Kustaa will have a fit if he finds out."

~

The Chief was climbing up the mast. Zuko hadn't planned for this, what was he supposed to _do_ , he could feel it shaking under the Chief's weight and that did _not_ feel good, he had to hold on, but he couldn't drop his scrolls...

And Chief Hakoda was getting really close. 

Zuko looked up; there was another crossbeam not too high above. It couldn't be too hard to climb up...

"Zuko." 

Too late. Zuko held onto the beam beneath him while the Chief climbed onto it. 

"Chief Hakoda," he managed. 

"What are you doing up here?" Chief Hakoda sounded tired — not angry. More like Mom used to when she found Zuko hiding under a bed from Azula. 

_Shut up. He's not your Mom._

"Enjoying the weather," Zuko grumbled sarcastically, gathering his scrolls in his arm. "What do you think?" 

The Chief sighed. "It isn't safe up here. You could have busted your stitches climbing up, or fallen."

"I'm _fine."_ Zuko scowled. "Why do you care?"

"Wouldn't you rather read somewhere more comfortable?" Chief Hakoda asked, completely ignoring his question.

Zuko huffed. "This _is_ comfortable," he lied. "And safe." 

Chief Hakoda sighed _again._ "Panuk...said you were upset after reading your father's letter. Do you mind sharing what he said?"

He did mind. But...the letter concerned Chief Hakoda too, didn't it?

Zuko reluctantly let go of the beam to hand over the scroll. Chief Hakoda carefully took it, unrolling it. Zuko felt a splinter dig under one of his nails as he held onto the beam again, but ignored it. 

The Chief's face twisted in distaste almost immediately after he started reading. Zuko couldn't blame him — it couldn't be nice to be compared to a pirate. Zuko had met pirates, unfortunately, and none of the meetings were pleasant ones.

Hakoda must have read the letter five times before he rolled it up, a cold look in his eye. Zuko suddenly wished he were anywhere but thirty feet in the air, balanced on a thin beam. 

"Your _Father_ sent this to you?" Hakoda asked, a weird tremble in his voice. Zuko swallowed, nodding. 

"He did."

Hakoda's eyes rested on the other scrolls Zuko held. "Who are those from?" 

"My sister. Her friends." He swallowed again; his mouth felt dry. "My Uncle hasn't written. I'm sorry." 

The Chief gave him a strange look. "Sorry? About what?"

 _For being such a failure my own family don't want me? For getting in situations that end with me hurt, having to stay on your ship and take up precious resources?_ Zuko realized his eyes were filling with tears again.

"I...I can get off the ship at the next port. Or..." He rubbed his eyes, looking down. He hated the idea, but... "or if that's not soon enough, I can swim back to the _last_ port. It's only been a couple days, I'll manage — but you probably don't care, so if I do drown or get eaten by sharks, or stabbed again, you can go ahead and celebrate, probably..."

He trailed off at seeing the look on the Chief's face. 

"Zuko." Hakoda's voice sounded oddly hoarse. "We're not going to do that to you."

Zuko had to take a few seconds to process the words. 

"Why not? I'm —" _A failure. Worthless. A waste._ _Your **enemy.**_ It was hard to pick just one thing. 

"You're a child, not a soldier. We're not merciless." And if that wasn't the _stupidest_ thing Zuko had heard in his life — "Is leaving what you really want?" 

"Of course it is!" Zuko snarled, because he _did_ , he wanted to leave and go _home —_ but home couldn't _happen._ Not until he had the Avatar — Father wouldn't be able to deny him then, he was a man of his word.

But for now...The _Akhlut_ was the closest thing he _had_ to home. As much as he wanted to go back to his country, and to stop feeling like a burden on everyone, he didn't want to _leave_ the only semblance of safety he'd felt in years.

He fought against the pressure building in his chest, no longer trying to blink away the tears. 

"No, it's not." He sniffed, shaking as he reached up to wipe away tears. "I want to go home, but I _can't._ And I don't want to leave Toklo, or Jin. I don't want to be alone in the Earth Kingdom."

Chief Hakoda seemed to have a silent debate with himself before reaching out; Zuko caught himself before he flinched, and let the Chief lay his hand on Zuko's upper arm. His hand felt cool, not warm like Uncle's or blistering hot like Azula's or Father's. It felt like _Mom's_ , and _damn it,_ Zuko had _just_ managed to keep himself from crying. 

"Zuko," the Chief said calmly. "You can stay on the ship. I'm not going to make you leave." 

Zuko had to force himself not to look at the Chief's face, because if he did, he was going to start sobbing. "You aren't?" The thought of something worse struck him. 

"You're going to _kill_ me, aren't you?" 

"No!" The sharpness of Hakoda's voice startled Zuko. "I told you. I won't do that." The hand on Zuko's arm squeezed, just a little. "You don't have to be afraid of anyone on this ship." 

_I can think of **several** people I should be afraid of, _Zuko thought. But it didn't sound like the Chief was lying. He wasn't going to kill Zuko. 

"You understand?" 

Zuko bit his lip, nodding. "I understand," he lied, because while he knew what the Chief meant, he had no idea _why_ or _how_ his life had got to this point. 

"Alright. Now, will you get down from here before Kustaa has an aneurysm?"

"What the hell is an aneurysm?"

"I don't know, kid."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, borrowing yet another concept from Salvage? Never.
> 
> Also, the next chapter ought to be out way sooner than this one was, because I actually know what I'm doing with it.


	37. 37; 'Toklo becomes a middle child'

All Zuko's glares didn't stop Toklo from crushing his ribs with a hug as soon as his feet were on the deck. 

"Never go up there again, dumbass."

Zuko huffed, but begrudgingly patted the other boy's back with the hand that wasn't clutching his scrolls. 

Climbing up and down the mast had taken a lot of energy, and Kustaa had taken one look at him before sending him to his bunk. Jin and Toklo followed him like a pair of lizard-puppies, squishing him between them when they sat down on his bunk. There was still a whole foot on either side of them, Zuko didn't understand why they didn't sit a little further away, but they didn't seem bothered by it. 

"Here," Jin said, pushing his abandoned bowl from earlier into his hand. "Finish that so I can wash the bowl."

Zuko rolled his eyes, laying his letters in his lap and picking up the spoon. It was inconvenient eating the noodles with a spoon instead of chopsticks, but it was better than nothing. 

When the bowl was empty Jin left, and Toklo moved to the floor so Zuko could lay down. It was then Zuko remembered he still hadn't read Azula's or Mai's letters. 

"Toklo, could you open the curtains? I need light."

~

Azula's letter was mercifully short, but all that meant was she'd gotten more concise with her threats and metaphors; it was no less chill-inducing than if she had sent a play-length scroll. Seeing it signed by _'Crown Princess Azula '_ made it sting worse; Zuko should have realized being banished would remove him from succession, but, like an idiot, he had overlooked it.

"Alright," Toklo said thoughtfully after Zuko let him read the letter. "Alright. You know this is really screwed up, right?"

Zuko shrugged. "That's Azula."

"Mm-hm. Any chance you're in the market for a new sibling?" 

Zuko had no idea how to respond to that, so he pretended not to hear it.

He re-read Ty Lee's letter, though it was mostly details of her family life, sprinkled with the same chipper aura blabber he'd always been a little annoyed by — it reminded him of Uncle's proverbs. But she did wish him good luck, and asked him to write back. He was _definitely_ writing back. 

_'Stay safe and don't give up!'_ she signed off.

 _Well, no chance of the staying safe part,_ he thought ruefully.

He left Mai's for last, because it had come as the biggest surprise — of course Azula would want to gloat, and Ty Lee always had something to talk about; He didn't know what to expect from Mai. 

He didn't expect two whole pages, that was for sure. But that was what he got. Two pages of complaints about her father's political pursuits and how the bouquets her aunt kept sending made her nose itch, and how the weather was still cool for the time of year; Questions about the ship, the crew, whether he'd seen anything interesting, whether he'd recovered from his injuries. Mai must not have had anyone to talk with for a while. 

_'You'd better find the Avatar soon. It's boring here without you knocking me in fountains, so get un-banished and come home before I go crazy._

_Love, Mai'_

Zuko smiled. Mai's letter had stayed fairly formal up to that point, so the last line came as a surprise — even though he could feel his face go red. 

"Well, something's made you happy," Toklo said, poking him in the arm. "Who's that letter from? Your _girlfriend?"_

Zuko glared at him. Toklo was _kind of_ right, but that didn't mean he could just _say that._ The warrior was annoyingly unashamed. 

"Come on, I wanna know who my new little brother's girlfriend is. She's not, like, super evil like your sister, is she?"

Zuko almost shuddered at the thought of Mai acting like Azula. "Thank Agni, no. She's not as close to Azula as Ty Lee is. She only sticks around because Azula would hurt her otherwise." 

Toklo winced. "No offense, but your sister sounds like a creep."

"She is," Zuko agreed. "Mai's a lot nicer, though some people think it's creepy that she doesn't really change her expression a lot. And she's kind of blunt, but not mean about it." 

Toklo nodded. "What about...what was it, Ty Lee? What's she like?"

"Are you just quizzing me on everyone I know?"

"I have to do something with my time. And what kind of brother would I be if I didn't know what kind of people you're hanging out with?" 

Zuko sighed. At least _this_ 'relative' wasn't _usurping_ someone else's position _(cough_ Kustaa _cough)._

~

The sun was still on its way over the horizon when Panuk walked out on deck and found Zuko leaning over the rail, eyes narrowed as he stated into the distance through the early-morning mist. 

"Whatcha looking at?" Panuk asked, wondering what in Koh's name could have gotten the teenager out of bed so early; especially after the nightmare Panuk was unlucky enough to hear every second of. 

Well. Maybe that answered itself. 

"That." Zuko pointed at a landmass on the horizon, hard to see in the still mostly-dark sky. "I think that's the Eastern Air Island." 

Panuk raised an eyebrow. "That's neat." 

"I was supposed to go with my Uncle, to find the Avatar." 

Right. "It's probably a day or two's sail away." 

"Yeah." Zuko sighed, sinking down a little to rest his chin on the rail. "I wish I could get a look around. The Eastern Temple is supposed to be so big, it needs _three_ different mountain peaks. There's so many places an Avatar could hide." 

"That's pretty big," Panuk said. _Never mind that nobody could survive all on their own for a hundred years. They'd go nuts first._ "Maybe Hakoda would let you go up."

Zuko scoffed. "It's too far out of the way. It would take days to even get up the mountain. It'd just waste the Chief's time, and I'm sure he'd say the same thing." He shook his head. "I won't bother him about it. Kustaa wouldn't let me, anyway."

_Right. Like you've ever listened to Kustaa._

Zuko leaned away from the rail, sighing. "I'm gonna go feed Yuki." 

Panuk still wasn't sure how the animal had gotten on the ship without anyone noticing. He sighed as the kid walked off, half his ponytail fallen loose after a night of tossing and turning. 

_I might just make a request to the Chief,_ Panuk thought. _Save the kid an extra trip once he finds his Uncle again._


	38. 38; 'Hakoda might be spoiling his newest child just a little-'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've decided that since I'm almost at 40 chapters and not even halfway done with the story I'm trying to tell, I'm going to be finishing this installment off after the next chapter, and moving on to a sequel! 
> 
> It might be a few days between the ending of this and the first chapter of that, since I'll have to think up a title, both for the sequel and the series. 
> 
> In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this penultimate chapter!

Two weeks to explore the Temples. The _Akhlut_ would circle the island while they were gone, and once they'd finished exploring they'd set sail again. 

Kustaa had been firmly against the idea, but Hakoda had already given the OK; Zuko was allowed to go as long as he was careful and didn't overexert himself. 

That didn't stop Kustaa spending the last two days trying to passive-aggressively talk him out of it, to the boy's annoyance.

Zuko wasn't going alone, of course — that would be stupid. Bato would provide the adult supervision they desperately needed, Akela would go in case of any medical emergencies (Kustaa claimed he was too old for mountain climbing), and Toklo and Jin were just along for the ride (and hike, and climb). 

Bato just hoped they didn't get in a fight and capsize his boat. Akela had been muttering all morning about being delegated to babysitting duty. Bato had plenty of experience from being around Hakoda's children, and Toklo was almost grown, so he supposed it couldn't be that bad. 

Zuko had been pacing the deck since the first rays of sunrise, a bundle of nervous energy. Since he still didn't have his own parka, Zuko wore Panuk's, which was comically large on him. It was warm enough now that it wasn't necessary, but it would get colder the higher they climbed. It seemed the Prince had decided to wear rather than carry the coat until then. 

"Everything packed?" Hakoda asked, strolling over to the boat hung over the side of the ship. Bato nodded, tossing in the last rolled-up sleeping bag. 

"Everything but the kids." 

Hakoda smiled. "Sure you're okay on babysitting?"

"They can't be worse than _your_ kids," Bato answered wryly. Hakoda laughed. 

"Maybe you'll do a better job keeping an eye on them, then." 

"It wasn't my fault Sokka snuck out, you know." 

"Sure, Bato." 

~

Zuko may have underestimated just how _huge_ the island was. And it was all uphill; he hoped there were some convenient ledges on the way up, because there was no way they'd make it up there in less than three days. 

" _Wow_ ," Jin said, stumbling out of the boat behind him and slinging her bags onto her shoulder. "This place is huge! I can't even see the Air Temple." She put her hand above her eyes, blocking the sun, and peered up at the clouds gathered around the tops of the unnecessarily huge mountains. 

"Let's not waste time sightseeing," Zuko said, heading up the rocky, grassy slope; someone caught him by the hood. 

"Not so fast," Bato said, pulling him back. Zuko scowled at the indignity of being handled like a wayward cat. 

" _Why?_ It's almost midday, we have to get a move on." 

"Give us a chance to look around first." Bato gestured to the mountains. "We'll have to find a safe path first." 

Zuko opened his mouth to argue...and closed it again. The man had a point.

"I was going to do that, _obviously_ ," he lied. "So let's...go do that." 

Bato _laughed,_ for some reason, and patted Zuko on the shoulder. "Of course you were." He walked past Zuko, toward the tree line. 

"Nice save," Akela said, smirking. Zuko glared at her, and stomped after Bato. _I'd prefer Kustaa to come instead of her —_

_No, I wouldn't. Never mind._

They reached the base of the mountain, and it was almost immediately clear there was no _safe_ way up. 

"Well, this is a conundrum," Akela said. 

"Just say _problem_ like a normal person," Zuko muttered. 

" _You're_ a problem." 

" _Hey—"_

"Calm down. Akela, be nice," Bato scolded. "We'll just have to find the least dangerous ledges and follow them." 

Zuko flipped Akela off when Bato wasn't looking. She stuck her tongue out. 

_Real mature._

~

If Zuko had thought it was chilly before, it was _cold_ up here. He was a firebender. He didn't _do_ cold. And now the sun was in the west, and it was getting even colder. 

They managed to find a ledge, and Bato built a small fire in a circle of stones; he cooked a small pot of noodles over the flames. Zuko stayed a safe distance away, even though the warmth of the fire was tempting.

He wasn't _afraid._ He just...didn't want to get too close — the ridiculous, huge, furry sleeves could end up trailing in the coals, and getting Panuk a new coat would be near impossible, so better safe than sorry. 

Jin and Toklo sat on either side of him, rather than near the fire. Neither of them had their coats on, the _maniacs_. 

"It's a little creepy out here, don't you think?" Jin asked, pressing her shoulder against his. "Feels like I'm being watched."

"By what? The bugs?" Toklo finished the broth in his bowl with a loud _slurp._ "We can switch sides if you want so I'm closer to the edge."

Zuko sighed, setting down his empty bowl. He had to agree with Jin. This place was...eerie. Knowing what waited at the top of the mountain, maybe abandoned for a century...

There had been rooms, at the Western Temple, that Uncle hadn't allowed him to enter, but he wasn't stupid. He could _guess_ what they needed urns for, and he could also _guess_ where the _other_ ashes had come from. The ones that _didn't_ go in urns, but drifted off in the wind after the pyre had gone out. 

He doubted one Temple would be any different from another. He _hoped_ it was; if not, he'd learned enough about working with clay when Uncle had wanted help making urns. He could manage. Morbid as it was, drying out the clay would make good practice for his bending. 

He'd cross that bridge if he came to it — there was the chance that the surviving soldiers (or the _Avatar)_ had performed the rites, and there'd be no need for him to do it. 

"Zuko, you want more food?" Toklo asked. 

"Not hungry," Zuko answered truthfully. Thinking about what he might find in the Temple was enough to do away with any appetite he might have left. 

"Suit yourself." 

~

Toklo was awake earlier than usual. Sleeping on the ground instead of his hammock, especially after climbing and hiking for _hours,_ was uncomfortable and cold and he was going to have _so many_ back problems. 

And unsurprisingly, Zuko was up too, sitting at the edge of the ledge they'd camped on. The sun was barely up, but Zuko's sleeping bag was rolled up already. 

Toklo sighed, sitting next to the other boy. "Morning."

Zuko looked at him, raising his eyebrow (or maybe it was supposed to be both. _Wow, that must suck.)._ His hood was down, showing off a _fantastically_ messy ponytail. Toklo figured his hair probably didn't look much better. Zuko's face also looked pinker than usual, like he was cold. 

"Morning," Zuko said, in a grumbly, half-asleep way. He must not have slept well; usually he was a lot more alert in the morning. "Why are you up?"

"For some reason I thought sleeping on the ground would be more comfortable," he joked. "Between that and climbing all day, I'm gonna be aching for a week."

Zuko huffed out what might have been a laugh. "My bunk on the ship isn't much softer. At least I can't fall off the ground." He paused, looking over the edge of the cliff with a small smile. "...Most of the time."

"Aren't you afraid of falling over?" Toklo asked. Zuko shook his head. 

"I used to climb up on the roof all the time. Azula couldn't find me up there." He grimaced. "Until she _did,_ and I had to find somewhere else to hide. But I still went up there — I even practiced with my swords sometimes." 

"Swords?" 

Zuko's face went pinker than it already was. "I trained with broadswords since I was seven," he said, sounding embarrassed, as if that wasn't the _coolest_ thing he could have said. 

"Didn't know my little brother was such a badass." Toklo smiled. Zuko looked at him, surprise on his face. 

_"What?"_

"The sword thing? That's pretty cool." Toklo nudged him. "What, you don't think so? Have cooler hobbies?" 

Zuko bit his lip. "A firebender shouldn't waste their time with nonbending fighting forms."

Toklo frowned. "Well, why not?"

"It takes time away from actually mastering the bending art. A good firebender shouldn't _need_ any other weapon." 

"Well, what if you were unable to bend for some reason?" Toklo countered. "Then you'd still need to defend yourself." 

Zuko frowned, looking away. 

"I guess you're right," he conceded after a moment. "But it's not much use all the way out here. I don't even _have_ my swords anymore..."

Toklo made up his mind he was going to ask Hakoda about getting this guy some weapons as soon as possible.

By now the sun had creeped just above the horizon, sparkling on the fog that gathered around the treetops below. _Only a couple hours until we start off again,_ he thought. _Better try and get back to sleep while I can._

"I'm going back to bed," he said, standing and patting Zuko on the shoulder. "You ought to get some rest too. Wouldn't wanna fall asleep climbing over a boulder." 

Zuko gave a noncommittal shrug. "Okay." 

Toklo decided to consider that a win, because normally Zuko would have argued. He went back to his sleeping bag, pulling an extra blanket over his head to block out the blinding sunshine. 

_At least there's not snow on the ground,_ he thought. _I'd never get to sleep then._

A few minutes later, he heard a rustling, and then a _fwump;_ He looked over and found Zuko's sleeping bag moved so it was right next to his. 

"I'm cold," Zuko mumbled defensively, crawling into the sleeping bag and pulling up the hood of his parka. 

Toklo shrugged, holding out the spare blanket. "Be my guest."

Zuko looked hesitant before taking it and wrapping it around himself. He laid down on his side, which Toklo thought couldn't be comfortable, he was laying _right on_ that huge burn, _ow._ He didn't look like he noticed it at all. 

"Night," Toklo said, closing his eyes and ignoring Zuko's protest of _'It's not night, it's morning.'_ Sleep was too precious to waste time arguing over a joke. 


	39. 39; 'was this trip a good idea? Zuko would say probably not.'

_'I want you to go with him to the Air Temple,_ _' Hakoda stated. 'For one, to help in case someone's hurt, and for another — I doubt the Avatar himself will be up there, but there could be information about where he is.'_

_'Information that could mean an advantage for us. For everyone against the Fire Nation.' Panuk's voice was authoritative. She wouldn't be surprised if he'd been the one to come up with this. 'If not for us specifically, it's information we could use to get the Earth Kingdom back on our side.'_

_'Why don't you go? You've got it all figured out,' Akela pointed out._

_Panuk raised his hand, counting off on his fingers. 'Bato's adult supervision, and Jin and Toklo are both his friends, so of course they're gonna go.' He pointed to himself. 'I barely know him. It'd be suspicious. You, on the other hand, have medical knowledge that would be useful to them. You'll fit right in, and the kid will be too busy looking for a big, obvious Avatar to notice you taking some scrolls.'_

_She had to admit, it was a good plan._

_~_

Akela ducked under a root protruding from the mountainside, shoving her hands into a pair of gloves. _Freezing cold._ _That's what I get for listening to my dumbass cousin._

She climbed over a huge root across their path, looking to the group ahead. "Wait up, would you? If I get left behind, I'm going back to the beach and telling everyone you're dead."

Toklo, the little jerk, laughed like she wasn't completely serious, as if she hadn't trained under _Kustaa_ for a week. 

_~_

The playful atmosphere of the past few days' travel had all but vanished now that the small group were nearing the top of the mountain. The knowledge of exactly why they were there had finally sunk in, and with it a dread of what they would find.

The colder, thinner air at last forced them to don their coats, and the trek became more tedious as they were forced to stop and disentangle fur trim from branches and roots.

Zuko remained as impatient as always, and when night fell while they were at last in sight of the Temple, he insisted they continue their climb by the half-moon's light; Bato won him over, though, and they camped out for one more night; this time in the dark, thick oak woods that ringed the mountaintop. 

"It's so cold up here," Jin complained, rubbing her hands together. "My hands are numb." 

"You shouldn't have given your mittens to Zuko, then," Akela said from across the fire. 

"Was I supposed to just let him freeze?" Jin held her hands out toward the fire, the warmth slowly returning feeling to her fingers. Akela shrugged.

"Not a bad idea."

Zuko and Toklo, sitting back-to-back at the edge of the clearing, fixed Akela with a pair of glares that would have had Akela on the ground if looks could kill.

"You can have your mittens back, Jin," Zuko offered. 

"Nah, I'll be fine." She smiled, wiggling her fingers over the fire. "This is better." 

Zuko shrugged, pulling the hood of his coat up. The tips of his ears and nose were red in the cold, and Jin thought it couldn't be comfortable having his head shaved that close in this temperature.

Akela sighed. "I'm turning in for the night. Don't stay up too late." 

She picked up her sleeping bag, retreating a safe distance from the fire and laying down. Within a few minutes the clearing echoed with the snores Akela always _insisted_ she was incapable of producing. 

The fire died down as nobody tended to it; Bato had already gone to sleep a while ago. The air got even colder, the wind through the trees making eerie sounds. The boys moved to sit on either side of Jin, close to the dying warmth of the coals. 

"We'll be at the Temple tomorrow," Toklo said quietly, poking at the firepit with a stick. 

"Yeah," Zuko mumbled, his head on Jin's shoulder. "Still can't believe we were allowed to do this."

"Well, it's not like finding the Avatar won't help us too," Toklo pointed out. "If you do find him, whose ship is he gonna be on?"

Zuko groaned. "I didn't think about that..." 

Toklo sighed. "You think he'll even be up there? I mean, it's been more than _a_ _hundred years_ since he would've been born. That's a long time."

"He could be alive," Jin said. "The King of Omashu is at _least_ that old." 

"Isn't the King of Omashu kind of..." Zuko twirled a finger around his ear. "Nuts?" 

Jin shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Never met him." 

Zuko huffed. "Just what I need, a senile Avatar. Father will be _so proud."_ He groaned, burying his face in his forearms, crossed over his knees.

Jin and Toklo exchanged a look. A _'would it be wrong to just kidnap him forever'_ look _._ It honestly concerned Jin that they used that look so often it was recognizable. 

"I think we all need to go to bed. We can worry about the Avatar in the morning." Toklo reached across Jin to ruffle Zuko's ponytail. "Come on."

The boys set up their sleeping bags right beside each other; Zuko didn't protest when Jin set hers up next to him, snuggling close. 

The ground was hard, but they all fell asleep quickly. 

~

Zuko had been wandering the Temple for almost an hour. He had found scorch marks, collapsed walls, huge piles of rubble and whole statues spread across cracked courtyards. Plants and vines and animals had moved in where people once belonged; but he had yet to encounter a single one of those people — living or dead. Evidently the soldiers who had attacked here had more respect for the dead than those at the Western Temple. Or more of them had survived to move the bodies. 

Zuko hadn't found the Avatar. He hadn't even found _information_ on the Avatar. All he'd found was ruined architecture and a couple of letters about which students were getting tattoos and which ones were traveling where, and while some of it was interesting, knowing that _'Tashi's forms need a little work, but we expect there will be a tattoo ceremony in the near future'_ or _'Aang has been spending more time on Pai Sho than mastering his forms, and may need to be separated from his teacher'_ wasn't _helpful._

He was headed back down to the ground floor to rejoin the group, when he passed an alcove, and inside it a door he must have overlooked on his way up. He glanced out a window — the sun was still high, he had plenty of time to look around. 

He pushed the door open, and froze in horror. 

Piled up in the center of the room, were a dozen-odd skeletons — all of them _tiny._ Zuko's stomach churned with nausea, his vision fixed on the nearest skull, which looked no bigger than his hand — and had scorch marks burned into it. Huge, hand-shaped marks — Zuko unconsciously reached for his own face.

_Why are they so **little,** who brings **children** into battle —_

_Who **kills** children when they're brought into battle?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hate to have to ask this, but does anyone know if there's a way to recover deleted chapters? Ya girl messed up bad, I didn't have a backup, and chapter 1 is kind of important. It's 4am and I am just so tired of anyone can help please comment


	40. 40; 'how do you explain to a kid that great-grandpa was a genocidal maniac?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1 is back up, I recreated it the best I could from memory. If anyone happened to download the story before the 21st, I'd really appreciate if you could somehow send it to me so I can copy it and get the original version of chapter 1 back up!

Toklo looked up from the scroll Akela was letting him read over her shoulder. He'd heard footsteps, and figured it must be Zuko. 

He was right. It was Zuko, but something seemed...off. His eyes were reddish, his hands clinging to the fur collar of his coat. Whatever was wrong, Jin had noticed it too.

"Zuko, are you okay?" she asked, climbing down from the tree she'd scaled to get a look at a bird's nest. 

"The Avatar isn't here," Zuko said in a choked voice, his gaze shifting away. "He hasn't been in years. Nobody has." 

Toklo frowned. "We've only explored one of the buildings. This place is huge, you can't tell me you're giving up —"

"If he'd been here, he would have laid his people to rest. Properly." Zuko's voice took on a hard edge, his hands dropping to his sides, clenching into fists. Toklo got a bad feeling. 

"You mean..." 

"There's a room. I missed it on my way up." Zuko swallowed, looking like he was going to be sick. "They...There were _kids_ here. And they died — my _Ancestor_ had them _killed._ Even if they were in battle...they should have been spared."

"Battle?" Akela frowned. "Zuko, what do you think _happened_ to the Air Nomads?"

Zuko frowned to match hers. "Their army —"

"They didn't _have_ an army," Jin interrupted. "My great-grandmother used to trade with them for their bison wool. They were peaceful."

Zuko looked like he'd been struck. _"What?"_

"They were monks and nuns. They wouldn't even kill an animal for meat." Toklo stared at Zuko. "You didn't _know?"_ _How can he **not know?**_

 _Of course._ _Why would they teach what really happened?_

"But then — why would they—" Zuko shook his head. "The Fire Nation has more honor than to attack pacifists! They must have had a reason..." 

Zuko's voice trailed off, his right eye widening in realization. 

"Zuko, they killed kids," Akela said, about as gently as _Akela_ could manage. "They wiped out an entire civilization. How do you think they managed that? Even if there was an army — not all the airbenders would have fought. Some should have survived."

"And they didn't." Zuko swallowed. "They didn't survive."

His voice cracking should have warned Toklo, but he barely had time to prepare himself before Zuko was struggling to stay on his feet, and Toklo was catching him in his arms. 

"They were _murdered,"_ Zuko whispered against his chest. Toklo could feel him shivering. "Sozin...Sozin had them _murdered."_

Toklo couldn't imagine how it must feel, not only having to live with the knowledge that your ancestor had done something like that, but _seeing_ the evidence yourself — 

He would have handled this situation way worse than Zuko was, right now. 

"I'm gonna go find Bato," Akela said quietly. "You two stay with Zuko, alright?" 

Right now, Toklo couldn't even conceive of going anywhere else. He lowered himself to the ground, settling Zuko next to him. 

"We...we need to do funeral rites for them." Zuko looked down at his shaking hands. "I don't know how they did funerals. At the Western Temple, Uncle handled it, I didn't see — I think he cremated them, but..." 

Toklo bit his lip. "We can figure it out later. We've got time." 

"But —"

"Later." He sighed. "And don't get stressed out that you don't know. How would you know? You've never had to do this." 

Zuko fell silent, laying his head on Toklo's shoulder. Jin joined them on the ground, putting her mittens on Zuko's hands. 

Akela and Bato came around the side of the building. Zuko was on his feet quickly, standing stiff and tense; Toklo and Jin stood with him.

"Bato?"

Bato sighed, looking grim. 

"I'm sorry to ask you this, Zuko." He looked Zuko in the eyes. "But can you take us to the bodies?"

Zuko swallowed, nodding slightly. 

"I can." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's where I'll end this part of the story! 
> 
> thank you all so much for reading, and your kudos and comments! I look forward to continuing this with a sequel soon!

**Author's Note:**

> I really really like the concept of Hakoda and his crew finding Zuko adrift and sort of taking him in, so here's installment number one of my take on that! Please tell me what you think, and thank you for reading!


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